Istanbul
On Wednesday, March 29, local media reported that migrants in the UK may be moved from hotels to ferries, former military bases and barges.
British Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick is expected to unveil the government’s plan to accommodate asylum seekers later in the day.
The BBC reported that plans to use ferries and barges for this purpose were being considered, but added that they were not at an advanced stage.
British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Sky News that the government will look into the situation of migrants whose asylum applications are being processed on boats.
Raab described migrants’ hotels and existing accommodation as a “catalyst” and added that the government needed to cut the £6m spent each day on their accommodation.
“I don’t think it’s illegal, it depends on the conditions and circumstances,” he said.
On Monday, the British government announced that Afghan refugees staying in hotels would be expelled. Veterans Affairs Minister Johnnie Mercer announced in the House of Commons that refugees in “temporary hotels” would be required to move.
He added that the government had plans to resettle the refugees and move them to “fixed accommodations”, and that Afghan refugees would be given three months’ notice, as the housing offer would only be made once.
Rights groups raised concerns after the announcement, saying thousands of Afghans, who fled their country after the Taliban took control in 2021, are at risk of displacement.
Refugee Council, a UK-based NGO, said: “We are deeply concerned about many elements of these plans, particularly the risk that people who fled the Taliban in Afghanistan could be left homeless and destitute on the streets of Britain.” Twitter.
Currently, about 8,000 people out of the 24,500 who left Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power are staying in hotels. Half of them are children, according to British media.
The NGO criticized the government, saying this was not how those who were promised a “warm welcome” should be treated in the UK.
“Hotels are not the right place for refugees to live, but the fact that thousands of Afghans have been staying in them for months is a consequence of government mismanagement and the inability to work successfully in partnership with local authorities and other agencies in order to find suitable accommodation,” the Refugee Council emphasized.
He added that the government’s plan would cause “extreme misery and anxiety for those who have already experienced trauma and upheaval”.
* Aisha Sandoval Alaguna contributed to this note.
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