Thursday, December 22, 2022
Home Office break the law again
The Independent reports that Home office emails have reported that more than 400 asylum seekers were illegally detained at immigration removal centres.
They say that the emails descibe the detention of between 450 and 500 migrants held as “overflow” from the Manston processing centre in November as “no longer legal”. They add that During a surge in Channel crossings in October, as many as 4,000 people were being detained at Manston, which is designed to hold just 1,600:
New arrivals were expected to be taken to the centre, which is designed for holding people for short periods during security and identity checks, before being moved to accommodation.
But some people were held for far longer periods due to a lack of alternative accommodation.
But the emails, through a freedom of information request, show Home Office permanent secretaries were aware of overcrowding concerns at the time.
“Their detention is no longer legal as they can only be detained whilst their identity is locked down and then only for a maximum of 5 days,” one email said.
“Most have been there for a number of weeks, longer than some Manston cases. We need to move them to hotels ASAP.”
The lack of preparedness and the hostile environment have put the Home Office into this position. They need to sort it out.
They say that the emails descibe the detention of between 450 and 500 migrants held as “overflow” from the Manston processing centre in November as “no longer legal”. They add that During a surge in Channel crossings in October, as many as 4,000 people were being detained at Manston, which is designed to hold just 1,600:
New arrivals were expected to be taken to the centre, which is designed for holding people for short periods during security and identity checks, before being moved to accommodation.
But some people were held for far longer periods due to a lack of alternative accommodation.
But the emails, through a freedom of information request, show Home Office permanent secretaries were aware of overcrowding concerns at the time.
“Their detention is no longer legal as they can only be detained whilst their identity is locked down and then only for a maximum of 5 days,” one email said.
“Most have been there for a number of weeks, longer than some Manston cases. We need to move them to hotels ASAP.”
The lack of preparedness and the hostile environment have put the Home Office into this position. They need to sort it out.
