MP: Seeing it for myself left me incredibly upset, uneasy and angry
An MP has spoken of her distress after witnessing conditions endured by families held at the Manston immigration centre.
Anum Qaisar said she was left shaken by a visit to the facility in Kent on Tuesday. There, the SNP MP for Airdrie and Shotts spoke to migrants who had been at the centre, meant for very short stays while applications are processed, for nearly a month.
Qaisar said: “Conversations with families, watching their children play with toys while they sit in a cold marquee, has left me feeling deeply uncomfortable, uneasy and frankly angry that the home secretary has let it get to this harrowing state.
“I had the chance to speak to a number of families, including a family of four who had been in Manston for 26 days.
“Young children said their only wish was to be able to get an education and a better future – the juxtaposition of hearing this and then seeing the reality of where they were currently sitting was incredibly upsetting. I also spoke to a mother whose daughter had nits in her hair. She said tome that she felt like she was going crazy as a result of being in Manston for so long.”
Qaisar described the processing centre as “a reflection of a crumbling immigration and asylum system that has been left to rot”.
“I had the chance to speak with senior Home Office officials who told me the youngest person that had been processed at Manston was eight days old,” she continued.
“They advised me the baby was born in France and brought over in a boat. I cannot for a minute imagine what a parent must have to go through in order to make this decision.
“Some families are being held in separate rooms. I also went into a large tent, where there was a sanitation area, communal showers and toilets, gym-like mats for people to sleep on and some toys for children to play with. This housed over 50 people.
“Visiting Manston and seeing this first-hand made me feel incredibly uneasy and I have now been left with harrowing images and stories – I can only imagine how the people who are actually having to experience this first-hand must feel.”
Following her visit as part of a delegation of MPS, Qaisar said Manston was being used as a detention centre rather than a short-term processing site.
She said: “The purpose of Manston is to process, and no one should be there for longer than 24 hours. I spoke to several families who had all been there for differing times – some for 10, 13 and 26 days.
“The current situation in Manston is a symptom of the UK Government’s narrative of asylum seekers being less than human. People are being held for disproportionately long times in conditions that are degrading and inhumane.”
The Home Office said: “The home secretary has taken urgent decisions to alleviate issues at Manston using all the legal powers available and sourcing alternative accommodation.
“The welfare of those in our care is of the utmost importance and we have acted quickly to improve the situation on the ground.”