More than 400 asylum seekers were illegally detained at immigration removal centres, Home Office emails have revealed.
The detention of between 450 and 500 migrants held as “overflow” from the Manston processing centre in November was described at the time as “no longer legal”, according to emails obtained by the BBC.
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…”
A Home Office spokesperson told the broadcaster an unprecedented number of small boat arrivals had put “huge pressure” on the asylum system, adding it had “worked tirelessly to move people into hotels or other accommodation as quickly as possible”.
Itcomes as more cases of diphtheria among asylum seekers have been reported in England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. The total number of cases for the year so far now stands at 67, figures published on Tuesday show.
The UKHSA said five cases of diphtheria among asylum seekers were reported between December 12 and 18. In the previous week, from December 5 to 11, the total was 62 after another five cases were reported.
Fifty of the cases were recorded in the South East, six were in London, and there were fewer than five in each of the following areas: East of England, West Midlands, South West, North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, the latest report said.
The figures come as the Home Office told a group of migrants they would be moved from a London hotel to military barracks in Kent, prompting a protest, with a local MP saying the decision was causing “huge distress” days before Christmas.
Home secretary Suella Braverman faced criticism about overcrowding and outbreaks of disease at Manston amid concerns a man held there may have died from a diphtheria infection.
She is due to face a grilling by MPs at the home affairs select committee on Wednesday.
