The government has given itself powers to hold migrants for longer periods at the Manston processing centre in Kent.
It comes after overcrowding at the site this autumn led to some migrants being kept longer than the 24-hour legal limit.
Under new rules, people can be kept there for up to four days if offered more extensive facilities.
The Home Office said this would give staff longer to process arrivals and conduct checks during busy periods.
An official inspection of the centre in July found the length of detention was "far too long" and "often" longer than the 24-hour period.
The site, a former RAF base, had been intended to hold up to 1,600 people, but there were around 4,000 migrants at one point in late October.
Manston is a non-residential centre with limited facilities, where people are meant to be kept only for short periods before being moved into more permanent accommodation, usually a hotel.
Opened as a processing centre in February, it has struggled to cope with the current 24-hour timeframe that applies to such sites.
Now a legal tweak will allow detention for up to 96 hours - a period that can be extended further by the home secretary in "exceptional circumstances".
The new rule will come into force on 5 January.
Pressure on the Manston site has increased as the year has gone on, with the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats rising to record levels.
Nearly 45,000 people have made the journey this year so far.
Raising concerns in October, David Neal, the chief inspector of borders and immigration, told MPs he had been left speechless by the "really dangerous" situation he found at the centre.
Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described conditions at the site as "appalling, with diphtheria outbreaks".
Last month, the government announced the centre had been cleared, with people being placed in alternative accommodation.
It is believed the government had bought space in hotels to ease the backlog.
Home Office efforts to reduce the levels at Manston had also been helped by recent bad weather deterring people from making the Channel crossing.
However, some are still trying and on Wednesday this week four people died after a migrant boat got into difficulties in the freezing waters between Kent and France.
"processing" - Google News
December 16, 2022 at 03:48AM
https://ift.tt/slw1xMk
Migrants to be kept longer at Manston processing centre - BBC
"processing" - Google News
https://ift.tt/sVvdiTA
https://ift.tt/TSKhaAq
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Migrants to be kept longer at Manston processing centre - BBC"
Post a Comment