Other “exhausted detainees” waited more than 30 hours to be processed, HM Inspectorate of Prisons discovered in its assessment.
The Home Office has been ordered to “get a grip” on the problems at the Manston migrant processing station, as a new investigation shows that inmates were not permitted to fully close lavatory doors and were forced to sleep on the floor.
Other “exhausted detainees” waited more than 30 hours to be processed, HM Inspectorate of Prisons discovered in its assessment.
Manston is a non-residential institution that houses detainees for no more than twenty-four hours while their initial immigration documents are processed.
There are currently approximately 4,000 migrants on the site, which is greater than the population of any British prison.
While there is access to food, water, baths, and toilets, there are no beds and no opportunity for fresh air or physical activity.
The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has been criticized for the facility’s congestion and accused of disregarding legal advice stating that migrants should be relocated to hotels from Manston.
On Monday, she stated that she “never ignored legal advice” and that, since her appointment by Liz Truss in early September, she had “worked tirelessly to relieve pressure at Manston”
She stated, however, that illegal immigration is “out of control,” noting “an invasion on our southern coast.”
She added that the sheer quantity of people crossing the English Channel makes it hard to accommodate them.
Following the publication of the report, Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor advised the government department and its contractors to expedite the processing of migrants and provide “appropriate provisions” so that people can be transported from the facility near Ramsgate, Kent, as soon as possible.
The examination, which was conducted at the facility in July, cautions that migrants crossing the Channel and arriving in Kent still face significant obstacles.
“The Home Office and contractors need to get a grip, expedite the processing of migrants, and make sufficient arrangements so that people may be relocated off-site as fast as possible and housed in humane and respectable conditions,” he said.
When migrants initially arrive in Kent after crossing the Channel from Calais, they are sent to Western Jet Foil in Dover and Lydd Airport in Romney Marsh for health screenings.
The Lydd Airport site was vacant at the time of the examination.
It noted “failures” in Manston’s protocols that “undermine the center’s ability to handle rising numbers of prisoners.”
However, the facility was deemed acceptable for short-term confinement, and the staff’s efforts to “create a calm and even welcome atmosphere” were observed.
While Manston was determined to have a “fair number” of available accommodations, “most of it was out of use due to a lack of staff” at the time of the inspection.
Other “marks of strain” included “exhausted inmates” sleeping on the floor, some of whom had waited for more than 30 hours to be processed.
Sir Roger Gale, a Conservative backbencher, told that overcrowding at the facility, where MRSA and diphtheria outbreaks have been detected, is “quite unacceptable.”
Additionally, the prison watchdog found:
• Victims of trafficking and vulnerable detainees, such as those with disabilities, were “not always assessed or recorded appropriately,” and some were not identified as “adults at risk”
• Some detainees were prohibited from using mobile phones to let their families know they were safe, and others were “inexplicably” not permitted to close toilet doors completely in certain areas of the facility.
• Translation services were not always utilized for inmates to comprehend the situation.
Mr. Taylor stated that the examination, which included two additional migrant processing centers on the south coast, revealed several “risks” associated with the facilities.
He said that new information from “several reputable sources,” including other watchdogs, indicated that the current situation had “markedly deteriorated.”
To address the issues, he intends to “quickly return” to Manston for another inspection, during which he “expects to see considerable improvements.”
“In the meanwhile, the Home Office and its contractors must seize control and act swiftly on the report’s findings to ensure that all prisoners are housed in secure, decent, and compassionate conditions,” he said.
A Home Office representative stated: “We applaud the report’s conclusion that there have been significant improvements to the infrastructure and procedures in place to absorb a record number of unlawful immigrants coming by small boat in the United Kingdom.
“As a result of these numbers, our asylum system has been placed under immense strain, but we acknowledge that more must be done to provide alternative housing for those coming into the United Kingdom. The rapid resolution of the existing pressures at Manston remains our top concern.
“Manston will continue to have the resources and equipment necessary to securely process migrants, and we will provide alternative housing as soon as possible.”
