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UK faces backlash over leaked plans to house illegal immigrants
(MENAFN) The British government is facing criticism after a leaked Home Office document revealed up to 14 new locations across the country have been earmarked to accommodate thousands of undocumented migrants, according to reports.
The plan is part of Labour’s commitment to phase out taxpayer-funded asylum hotels by 2029, which currently cost billions annually. The memo, marked “official sensitive,” reportedly outlines how the Home Office intends to resettle as many as 10,000 asylum seekers in the UK.
The proposal includes using upgraded former military facilities, which could start receiving arrivals immediately. So far, two sites have been identified: Cameron Barracks in Inverness and the Crowborough Army Training Camp in East Sussex.
Although the camps would be fenced, migrants would not be legally detained and could leave at any time. At a comparable site in Wethersfield, Essex, the Home Office provides a shuttle service to nearby towns seven days a week.
Defense officials acknowledged that placing facilities near residential areas is “problematic” and expected to face “fierce resistance” from local communities.
Over the weekend, hundreds of residents in Crowborough, a town of about 20,000, protested plans to house 600 asylum seekers at the disused base, carrying signs reading “Protect our children” and “Protect our community.” “We just feel like we’ve been let down by the government,” resident Ben Grant said. Another protester called for the government to “bring on the army to keep control,” while a local girl told reporters she no longer feels safe in her own neighborhood.
In Inverness, where another proposed facility is near the city center, residents voiced similar concerns, citing fears for “the safety of women and girls.”
Government data indicate that the Home Office is currently supporting roughly 103,000 migrants at public expense, including just over 32,000 housed in hotels. Over a two-day period last week, more than 1,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats, bringing this year’s total to over 38,000, surpassing the 36,816 arrivals recorded for all of 2024.
The plan is part of Labour’s commitment to phase out taxpayer-funded asylum hotels by 2029, which currently cost billions annually. The memo, marked “official sensitive,” reportedly outlines how the Home Office intends to resettle as many as 10,000 asylum seekers in the UK.
The proposal includes using upgraded former military facilities, which could start receiving arrivals immediately. So far, two sites have been identified: Cameron Barracks in Inverness and the Crowborough Army Training Camp in East Sussex.
Although the camps would be fenced, migrants would not be legally detained and could leave at any time. At a comparable site in Wethersfield, Essex, the Home Office provides a shuttle service to nearby towns seven days a week.
Defense officials acknowledged that placing facilities near residential areas is “problematic” and expected to face “fierce resistance” from local communities.
Over the weekend, hundreds of residents in Crowborough, a town of about 20,000, protested plans to house 600 asylum seekers at the disused base, carrying signs reading “Protect our children” and “Protect our community.” “We just feel like we’ve been let down by the government,” resident Ben Grant said. Another protester called for the government to “bring on the army to keep control,” while a local girl told reporters she no longer feels safe in her own neighborhood.
In Inverness, where another proposed facility is near the city center, residents voiced similar concerns, citing fears for “the safety of women and girls.”
Government data indicate that the Home Office is currently supporting roughly 103,000 migrants at public expense, including just over 32,000 housed in hotels. Over a two-day period last week, more than 1,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats, bringing this year’s total to over 38,000, surpassing the 36,816 arrivals recorded for all of 2024.
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