Migrants at the severely overcrowded Manston processing center in Kent are making improvised weapons from tent parts, toilet roll holders and fragments of wire fencing as frustration grows over the rapidly deteriorating conditions, sources have told UK media.
After 700 more migrants were brought in from Dover, where the UK Border Force immigration center was attacked by someone using petrol bombs on 30 October, the Manston center swelled even more. Since May, the site - formerly a Royal Air Force (RAF) base - has tripled in size, with 21 tents housing migrants instead of the seven used in spring. Though the maximum capacity of the site is 1,600, it is now reportedly housing 4,000 asylum-seekers. The overpopulation has resulted in outbreaks of infections such as diphtheria and scabies, and has triggered outbursts of violence.
Staff in Manston have voiced concerns over the spiraling situation in the past 24 hours, according to Lucy Moreton, an officer at the Union for Borders, Immigration and Customs.
“Tensions have been very high in Manston for the past three weeks off and on, as people are staying there longer and longer and are becoming increasingly frustrated,” she was cited as saying.
She added that the site was at present housing families with children in "utterly inadequate" facilities.
"Staff face threatening and violent behavior every day from migrants who are frustrated and bored. The ISU has raised urgent concerns that detention at this site and for this length of time is unlawful,” Moreton added.
The migrants were described as getting into fights with each other, as staff have discovered improvised weapons. According to insiders, there have been fights between Albanians and Eritreans, as well as other migrants with criminal backgrounds, held at the site for processing. Residents in nearby areas were also cited as expressing safety concerns amid speculation that the migrants might be rehomed in empty accommodation in the neighborhood without thorough background checks.
As some migrants reportedly attacked Border Force officials and “scared and outnumbered” security staff, a small army detachment was said to be inside the facility attempting to maintain order. Riot police were also said to be on standby, with the whole situation described as a “tinderbox".
'Breach of Humane Conditions'
The signs of worsening conditions at Manston come as a report into the center by HM Inspectorate of Prisons revealed previous concerns that had been left unresolved. With the migrant situation showing no sign of easing as ever more desperate asylum-seekers embark on the dangerous journey across the Channel in small boats and dinghies, Charlie Taylor, chief inspector of prisons, carried out an unannounced visit to the Manston site back in July.
The resulting 37-page report revealed that some migrants were forced to wait up to 70 hours to be processed, and exhausted detainees were forced to hunker down on mats on the floor or on wooden benches. There was evidence of migrants not being allowed to close toilet doors fully, denied access to mobile phones to tell relatives of their safety, and no access to fresh air or exercise. There were also serious concerns raised as “a considerable minority” of migrants had been moved to hotels temporarily without screening.
Weighing in on the new “credible” reports from Manson suggesting that the situation there had worsened since the July inspection, Taylor said:
“We are hearing that detainees are now being held in greater numbers and for much longer periods of time in cramped and uncomfortable conditions, often supervised by staff who have not been suitably trained.”
The dire situation at Manston was described as a “'breach of humane conditions” by local Conservative MP, Sir Roger Gale, who told UK media:
“There are simply far too many people and this situation should never have been allowed to develop, and I'm not sure that it hasn't almost been developed deliberately.”
Taylor said that the UK Home Office needed to “get a grip” on the situation and speed up the processing of migrants, as well as ensure that people can be moved from the site as quickly as possible and housed in “humane and decent conditions.” Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration David Neal, also told MPs he was “speechless” when confronted with conditions at the center.
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman faced growing criticism amid reports suggesting she has been blocking the transfer of migrants from the overcrowded center because of the soaring cost of housing them in hotels. Braverman, however, pushed back at the accusations, saying she "never ignored legal advice" and had "worked hard to find accommodation to relieve pressure at Manston." At the same time, she admitted that illegal migration was "out of control" amid an "invasion on our south coast."
Asked to comment, a Home Office spokesman said Manston remained “resourced and equipped to process migrants securely and we will provide alternative accommodation as soon as possible".
UK Border Force officials travel in a RIB with migrants picked up at sea whilst Crossing the English Channel, as they arrive at the Marina in Dover, southeast England on August 15, 2020
© AFP 2023 / BEN STANSALL
The inundated facility in Kent is struggling to process migrants as some 468 people crossed the Channel in eight small boats on Sunday, according to data provided by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Overall, there have been 39,864 such arrivals this year, with no end in sight to the crisis.
Environment minister Mark Spencer acknowledged to media outlets that there remain “huge challenges” regarding the migrant crisis, adding: “Clearly there's more to do, but we're making progress.”