Small boat migrants selected for the deportation deal with France were ‘upset’ to end up in detention after expecting to be placed in a hotel, according to a report.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said migrants held at Tinsley House immigration removal centre were ‘anxious’ ahead of being sent back to France under the ‘one in, one out’ returns deal.
In his inspection of the centre, near Gatwick airport, Mr Taylor said: ‘Detainees were anxious about their cases with many having arrived at the centre having expected to be placed in a hotel.
‘There was very little information about what they could expect in France and the centre had not made contact with French colleagues.’
It went on: ‘Many detainees had been selected for detention while in asylum hotels and were surprised at their detention.
‘Most were upset about the threat of imminent removal and did not know what would happen following removal to France.
‘Several men became upset while speaking to inspectors about these issues during interview.
‘Anxiety, depression, and sleep disruption were widely reported.’
One told inspectors who visited the centre: ‘What is going to be my fate? It makes me very stressed’.
Small boat migrants were ‘anxious’ and ‘upset’ at Tinsley House immigration removal centre, near Gatwick airport, after expecting to instead be housed in hotels
Migrants try to board a smuggler’s boat off the beach of Equihen-Plage, northern France, on September 23
Mr Taylor’s report said Home Office procedures to identify ‘very vulnerable men’ who should not have been held at the centre were ‘slow and not thorough enough’.
He added: ‘Given that more than half of all detainees were eventually released there is a question as to why so many were locked up at a huge cost to the taxpayer in the first place.’
Describing conditions at Tinsley House, the report said: ‘Many detainees spent the mornings asleep, meaning they did not take advantage of activities that were on offer.
‘The gym and the sports hall were better used in the afternoon or the evening.
‘The centre was not doing enough to encourage detainees to attend activities, particularly for those who were suffering from poor mental health, many of whom would have benefited from having more to do.’
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said earlier this month that the cost of returns under the ‘one in, one out’ deal had risen to £56,000 a head.
She told MPs more than 1,400 migrants have been deported under the scheme so far.
The deal, which is due to expire next month, had handled ‘relatively small’ numbers of migrants and it had been ‘operationally difficult to scale up very large numbers of removals every week into the French system’, Ms Mahmood said.
