Tory ministers are facing possible legal action over an asylum centre housing 3,500 people in conditions described as "dire" by senior MPs.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick last night confirmed the Government had received "initial contact for a judicial review" over the Manston facility in Kent.
Mr Jenrick claimed the move was "not unusual" as it concerned a "highly litigious area of policy" - but did not reveal who was behind the challenge.
Mr Jenrick appeared to concede the current situation at Manston may not be legal, telling Sky News' Sophy Ridge he expects it "will be returned to a well-functioning and certainly legally compliant site very rapidly".
He also revealed that 3,500 people are still at the asylum centre at Manston - despite a maximum capacity of 1,600.
Mr Jenrick told ITV's Peston claimed the number is "falling very rapidly", adding: "I expect that we'll get down to an acceptable level within about seven days.
"We're procuring more hotels in all parts of the country, decanting migrants from Manston to those as quickly as we can.
"And once we've done that we'll be able to restore Manston to the kind of acceptable humane conditions that all of us would want to see".
But he said, as the minister responsible, he wants to ensure everything is conducted "appropriately and within the law".
It came as the under-fire Home Secretary Suella Braverman prepared to visit Dover as struggles with the crisis - but is not scheduled to take questions from the media.
Last night the chairs of four parliamentary committees wrote to the Cabinet minister epressing "deep concerns" over the "dire" conditions at Manston, asking what will be done to address the current situation and avoid overcrowding in future.
On Thursday it also emerged that a group of 11 asylum seekers were left at London's Victoria station without accomodation after being taken from Manston.
Danial Abbas, from the Under One Sky homelessness charity, said the men were left "highly distressed, disorientated, lost" in London, with "nowhere to go".
Mr Abbas said that someone from the Home Office "put his hands up on behalf of the Home Office and said 'this has been a massive error, let's get this sorted ASAP"'.
Mr Abbas told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "very quickly a solution was found" and the group was taken to a hotel in Norwich.
