Asylum seekers held at Manston have launched legal action alleging they were locked up for days in filthy, overcrowded tents where diseases spread and sexual abuse was rampant.
Almost 200 asylum seekers have submitted claims against the Home Office, saying their stay at the Manston site in Thanet after coming to the UK at Dover impacted their human rights.
The Manston immigration short-term holding facility has processed about 18,000 people arriving in the UK
Some say they were subjected to sexual assault, physical abuse, racist slurs and theft by guards, while others reportedly tried to self-harm with barbed wire.
Outbreaks of diphtheria and scabies were linked to at least one death.
The former RAF base, designed as a short-term processing site, was crammed with up to 4,000 people in late 2022 — three times its official capacity — with many forced to sleep on floors with only thin blankets.
Detainees were meant to be screened and moved on within 24 hours, but some were held for far longer.
Lawyers say each migrant could be owed £500 for every unlawful day in custody, but the total bill may be far higher once aggravated damages are added, The Telegraph reports.
A migrant held at Brook House removal centre at Gatwick was awarded more than £200,000 in a similar case last year after being detained for three months.
Asylum seekers held at the Manston detention centre have submitted legal claims against the government. Picture: PA
Six leading legal firms are now representing 194 asylum seekers, with the Home Office warning the fallout could be “reputationally damaging” for the department.
Internal briefing notes list incidents including a death in custody, unlawful detention of adults and children, officials charged with misconduct and conspiracy to steal, and breaches of safeguarding rules, health and safety regulations and even planning permission.
Responding to the news of the legal submissions, Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran wrote on X: “Totally and utterly beyond a joke. Britain is not only broken, it’s on its last leg.”
The government announced a public inquiry in February into what happened at Manston between June and November 2022.
It is expected to examine whether ministers were warned at the time that migrants were being detained unlawfully.
Former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, along with ex-home secretaries Dame Priti Patel, Suella Braverman and Grant Shapps, could all be called to give evidence.
Despite the scandal, defence minister Luke Pollard said this week that Manston may be expanded under Labour’s plans to use more military sites to house asylum seekers, reducing the reliance on taxpayer-funded hotels.
Manston has processed about 18,000 migrants since opening, raising the prospect of many more claims to come.
Lawyers believe thousands may have grounds to seek compensation, potentially costing the taxpayer millions.
A Home Office spokesman told The Telegraph: “It would be inappropriate to comment while the inquiry into events at Manston between June and November 2022, and any related litigation, are ongoing.”