Britain will abandon the current practice of housing asylum seekers in hotels and instead create temporary accommodation in former military barracks, writes Politico.
The new plans were announced by British immigration minister Robert Jenrick at a time when it is also planned to introduce new measures to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants, which are controversial in Europe. Currently, 6.2 million pounds are spent every day on hotel accommodations for immigrants. It is planned that
persons who will come to the country illegally will be accommodated in several military bases throughout the territory of Great Britain.
According to several media reports, the government plans to house illegal immigrants on one or more currently unused barges, ferries, and cruise ships. The Scottish government has acted in a similar way before: due to a lack of suitable places to live, it accommodated refugees from Ukraine on cruise ships docked in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab confirmed that the use of watercraft was being considered.
The new announcements follow legislation proposed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to curb illegal immigration and reduce the number of people trying to cross the English Channel in small boats.
The new law aims to radically reduce the ways in which asylum seekers in Britain can avoid deportation. Sunak has made reducing the number of migrants one of his main political priorities, but his plans have already been condemned by human rights organizations and the European Union.
Read also: Council of Europe urges Great Britain to stop new migration law