MIGRANTS are expected to be moved into a converted army barracks in East Sussex within weeks, as the government said it could not guarantee a fall in Channel crossings next year.
The government plans to house 540 male asylum seekers at the Crowborough army training camp, despite protests from local residents and threats of legal action, reported The Times. The move is part of efforts to reduce the use of hotel accommodation.
Downing Street said on Monday there was “no single measure, no silver bullet, to a global problem that governments across Europe have been battling to take control of”. The prime minister’s spokesman said the government had “moved away from gimmicks and failed policies” and was “taking serious, practical action with partners to secure our borders, break the gangs’ business model and fix a system that was left paralysed”.
More than 41,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats this year. Over the weekend, 803 people crossed in 13 dinghies from northern France, according to The Times. Asked whether crossings would fall next year, the spokesman said: “We’re taking a range of measures to drive down the numbers and tackle small boat crossings, and those will continue.”
He said Crowborough and other former military sites were an “important part of tackling illegal migration” and added that plans were being accelerated once sites were “fully operational and safe”.
Local residents and Wealden district council have opposed the plans. A campaign group, Crowborough Shield, has launched a High Court challenge. Its director, Kim Bailey, said the plans were causing “fear and uncertainty”.
The Home Office said the government was “furious” about illegal migration and hotel use, adding: “This government will close every asylum hotel.”
