Manston migrant processing centre

Wilsons’ public law department is acting for a number of people who have been detained in very poor conditions at Manston migrant processing centre. We are aiming to seek accountability for what they have been through, including financial compensation for unlawful detention where appropriate.

Manston is a short term detention facility in Kent. It is on a site owned by the Ministry of Defence which the Home Office is using to process people arriving irregularly, usually by small boat. The law says that normally people should be detained there no longer than 24 hours.

There have been reports of people being detention at Manston much longer than 24 hours. The conditions have been reported to be poor. The accommodation is very basic, with people accommodated in crowded marquees without proper beds. Toilet and washing facilities are said to be inadequate.

The Home Office has explained the increasing numbers of people at Manston by reference to the increasing numbers of people arriving by boat and the shortage of residential asylum accommodation. This in turn is in large part due to the large backlog of unresolved asylum claims. This means that people are being detained at Manston longer than they should be.

Our clients’ experiences are, unfortunately, consistent with what has been reported. Some of them have been detained much longer than the law allows. They report very poor conditions – crowded marquees, sleeping on mats on the floor with blankets, lack of light and ventilation, inadequate toilet and washing facilities. Some of our clients are young children.

We would be happy to speak to anyone who has been through Manston in the past few months and wish to seek accountability what they went through. The solicitor leading the firm’s work on this is Jed Pennington.