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Napier barracks confinement 'like living in a prison,' say asylum-seekers

ASYLUM-SEEKERS living at Napier Barracks and campaigners have warned that underlying problems remain at the site despite government claims of significant improvements.

It comes as the Home Office prepares to open another ex-military base in nearby Manston to process asylum-seekers, despite criticism of the government’s use of the former barracks. 

With the plans underway, asylum-seekers at Napier spoke out today about poor conditions at the site in Folkestone and concerns around Covid-19. 

One camp resident who has lived in the barracks for six weeks said: “I can tell you that Napier camp is a very bad place for living.

“You don’t have a room alone, you can’t go outside for a long time. It’s very bad because you think it is a prison.”

He said that he does not feel safe from Covid-19 at the barracks, saying: “Every time, there are three or four buildings in the camp in quarantine.”

Another who had been there for five weeks said that the site is old and unclean. He said: “It is not safe because we have no doors – we are always at risk.”

The Home Office insists that significant improvements have been made to the site following a huge outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2021 and a damning High Court ruling last June. 

Indre Lechtimiakyte, legal and migrant support manager at Samphire, a charity supporting refugees in Kent, told the Morning Star that the food and facilities had improved. 

But she added: “It’s not just about painting the walls and installing the gym. The main problems remain: access to healthcare has not improved. 

“There is only one nurse on site. Men are not aware that they can register with their GP.”

Ms Lechtimiakyte said that mental health support was still “non-existent” despite the prevalence of mental health conditions among men at Napier. 

Difficulties sleeping due to the shared conditions exacerbate these problems, she said. 

The Home Office has reduced both capacity at Napier and the length of time people are held, but it’s understood that between 260-280 people are currently living at the barracks, where they sleep in shared rooms. 

A recent damning report by a cross-party group of MPs and peers found conditions at Napier and other ex-army bases used to house asylum-seekers since September 2020 have inflicted “profound harm.”

Despite this, Home Secretary Priti Patel has pushed ahead with plans to expand their use, confirming last month that asylum-seekers would start to be moved into the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Manston in January. 

Ms Lechtimiakyte said that she was very concerned by the Home Office’s decision to open the site. 

“Such accommodation is never appropriate for vulnerable people fleeing conflict and human rights abuses. Remote sites like Napier also prevent integration,” she said.

 

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