The government has cleared Harmondsworth immigration centre after a night of chaos triggered by an ongoing power cut.
Riot police descended on the centre Friday evening shortly before 8pm and there were reports of protests and violence within the centre throughout the night.
It was triggered by a power cut which began Thursday at midnight, and left the detainees without electricity as they had no running water either.
Chaos plagued the centre throughout Friday night and into Saturday as detainees were left in the dark, with no idea what was going on, even as police remained just outside.
But now the detention centre was cleared, with the last detainees leaving this morning, as efforts to restore power and water are stepped up, the immigrations minister confirmed.
Robert Jenrick said: "The priority now is to move people to other centres while engineers fix the power fault and repair any damage."
Yesterday afternoon, coaches could be seen collecting the detainees from the centre to take them elsewhere - it isn't yet known where else they were taken.
This will likely put added pressure on the country’s immigration and detention system, coming after revelations of dire overcrowding at Manston migrant centre.
Images and videos showed people sleeping on the floor as others reached through the fence for help.
However, there had been plans to move some of the detainees from Manston to Harmondsworth to help alleviate pressure.
But the reported 700 detainees at Harmondsworth have now had to be distributed across a number of other centres, interrupting plans to cope with the Manston overcrowding.
Speaking from inside Harmondsworth on Saturday, one detainee told the Mirror about the chaos inside which left them fearing for their life.
The unnamed detainee was locked out in the courtyard with around 50 others on Friday evening, as temperatures plummeted.
They were then kept out there for hours until 1:30am in the morning when they were led back in one-by-one without any explanation.
Reports claim that there was violence or a protest that night that the Home Office said peaked around 2am.
From there the detainee claims they were held inside their cells with no contact from any staff or officers until well into the next day. This was their second day without power, or running water.
On the Friday, as they desperately tried to cope without flushing water, one manager at the centre told them to ‘s*** in a bag’.
No electricity meant the emergency buzzers weren’t working, and the detainee told The Mirror that people weren’t getting their medication either.
The dire handling of the situation left the detainees terrified and panicking throughout Saturday as they received no word on what was going on.
A number banged on their doors, begging officers and staff to help them.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “All individuals residing at Harmondsworth Immigration removal centre have been safely moved to alternative sites, where they remain detained.
“The offenders held at the facility were kept secure throughout and no staff or detainees were injured throughout the disruption.
“All those responsible for disorder will be held to account and, where appropriate, removed from the country as swiftly as possible.”
Last night, Minister for Immigration Robert Jenrick said: "There was disruption overnight at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre after a loss of power. Thankfully no staff working or individuals detained there were hurt, despite clear evidence of unacceptable levels of violence and disorder. The priority now is to move people to other centres while engineers fix the power fault and repair any damage.
“The public should be reassured that offenders and others waiting removal from the UK are being held securely. The perpetrators of this disturbance will be held to account and, where appropriate, removed from the country as swiftly as is practicable.
“The Home Secretary and I have been kept abreast of events throughout the night and today by our hard-working teams. I have also visited the site today and I expect the centre to be empty by the end of the day. I am grateful to Home Office staff, contractors and officers from HMPPS and the Metropolitan police for their professionalism and practical support.”
The Home Office have since been approached for comment on the evacuation, for details around how this will impact the Manston relief effort, and where the detainees will be moved to.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “Police officers have been providing support to staff dealing with a disturbance at the Harmondsworth immigration removal centre. Met officers attended the location at approximately 7.45pm on Friday, 4 November. Officers remain at the location.”
