Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Migrants detained illegally, official email claims

Migrants detained illegally, official email claims

Hundreds of migrants were illegally detained at immigration removal centres, according to Home Office emails obtained by BBC News.

The detention centres were used to hold about 450 people - described in one email as "overflow" from the migrant processing facility at Manston.

The email said their detention was "no longer legal," adding: "We need to move them to hotels ASAP."

The Home Office said an unprecedented number of small boat arrivals had put "huge pressure" on the asylum system.

It said it had "worked tirelessly to move people into hotels or other accommodation as quickly as possible".

The email was sent on 4 November, the day after Home Secretary Suella Braverman visited Manston amid pressure to get a grip on overcrowding at the site.

According to a chain of emails, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the Home Office permanent secretaries - the department's most senior civil servants - were made aware of the concerns at the time.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the emails "demonstrate the Home Office knew that they were breaking the law and lay bare how their chaotic failure to plan led to this situation".

"Under [Ms Braverman's] direction the Home Office has lost control of the system and has created potential substantial legal costs for the taxpayer."


The Home Office site in Kent was intended to hold migrants for 24 hours, but some were detained there for weeks

In October, it was revealed about 4,000 people were being held in tents at Manston, leading to overcrowding and disease.

By early November, between 450 and 500 asylum seekers had been moved to immigration removal centres as "Manston 'overflow'", according to Home Office emails.

"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 read.

"Most have been there for a number of weeks, longer than some Manston cases. We need to move them to hotels ASAP…"

Manston was designed to quickly process and release migrants who arrive in the UK in small boats.

But inspectors have raised concerns about the number of people being held for long periods in "cramped and uncomfortable conditions, often supervised by staff who have not been suitably trained".

The home secretary is due to be questioned by a House of Lords committee on Wednesday about asylum accommodation and the backlog of unprocessed claims.

One man, who was held in Manston for 24 days, claims he was attacked by an official after what detainees described as a peaceful protest. Kent Police are investigating the allegations.

BBC News has obtained photos taken by staff at the centre that show the man with a blood-stained face and swollen nose.

After the protest was broken up by Home Office staff on 27 October, he said he was held around the neck by an official, and used "whatever strength I had to remove his arm from choking me".

"When I removed his hands, he pushed me and I fell backwards onto someone else. While I was on the floor, the same officer grabbed my head and used his knee to bash my head in and broke my nose. From this point onwards, I lost consciousness."

Pictures taken by staff at Manston show the man's face and hands covered in blood


The BBC has spoken to five other detainees who said they witnessed the alleged assault and corroborate the man's claims.

The Home Office said the allegations did not match its understanding of events.

"There is an ongoing investigation to establish what happened on this occasion and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further," it said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×