Manston is supposed to be a short-term holding facility
(Picture: PA Wire)Hundreds more Channel migrants were due to be moved to hotels on Wednesday from the overcrowded Manston reception centre as security staff warned of a riot risk and reports emerged of children going missing.
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he expected the number of migrants at the centre to fall “substantially” as the Government stepped up efforts to find accommodation elsewhere.
But as one council protested about the use of hotels in tourist locations, Andy Baxter, from the Prison Officers’ Association, warned that the dire conditions at Manston, near Margate in Kent, could prompt disorder if ministers fail to act quickly enough to reduce numbers.
“The unrest is spreading across the camp — our members are facing threats from people constantly saying ‘what’s happening to me? When will I be getting moved on?’” said Mr Baxter, whose union represents custody officers at the site.
“People start making threats to have sit-down protests, threats to go on hunger strike and threats of self-harm. Eventually I think we’ll see a serious breakdown in public order … potentially a riot.”
His warning came as one asylum seeker held at the centre, crammed with 4,000 migrants despite only being meant to house around 1,000 for a maximum of 24 hours each, warned that being there was like living in a zoo or a prison.
He told the BBC that he had fled from Iran to avoid persecution and had been held in Manston for 24 days without being able to contact his family.
Meanwhile, Sky News reported that 222 out of 1,300 child migrants placed in hotels during the summer have gone missing, in a disclosure that will prompt further concern about the fate of migrants seeking sanctuary here.
The problems have piled pressure on Home Secretary Suella Braverman as the Government struggles to cope with the record number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats this year. The total already stands at around 40,000 with ministers bracing themselves for it to top 50,000 by the end of December, roughly double the previous record of 28,526 last year.
Today, as efforts to acquire more hotel rooms continued, Cabinet minister Mark Harper warned that despite the successful transfer of some migrants this week the poor conditions at Manston will not be solved immediately.
“It is reasonable to say it is not going to happen overnight. There are no simple solutions here. They’re very difficult. The Government is putting the steps in place to procure more accommodation,” he said.
Chief Inspector of Borders David Neal told MPs he was left “speechless” by the plight of migrants at Manston, and the situation was exacerbated when some migrants were moved there after “hate-filled” Andrew Leak hurled firebombs at a migrant centre in Dover on Sunday before killing himself. The Home Office could face a compensation bill for holding migrants longer than allowed.
