Residents living just yards from former Army barracks have accused the Home Office of ‘lying’ after male asylum seekers arrived at the camp at 3.28am.
A total of 27 illegal immigrants arrived at the camp in Crowborough on Thursday morning in mini-buses that were escorted by police.
It came as the Home Office decided to press ahead with a plan to house up to 540 asylum seekers at the centre, despite months of protests from furious locals.
A couple who live adjacent to the Army base are concerned about the new site, and worried about the ‘scale’ of the operation.
Christine Straker said: ‘You hear all these rumours and you think “well, could be true”, but now it’s happened, we’re shell-shocked.
‘We knew it was going to happen because they just spent so much money down there and they’ve just taken us all for idiots, to be honest.
‘We used to have half a dozen cars a day going down there and they’re now talking about 400 cars.’
She added: ‘The Home Office have just lied and not done anything they promised.’
A 16-seater mini van driven into a migrant camp in Crowborough in the early hours of this morning
The coach was assisted by a police escort at 3.28am on Thursday
Migrants are seen standing outside the barracks this morning after their arrival at the camp
Mrs Straker said she found out the site was going to be operational on Wednesday evening, but has been worrying about it since November.
‘We weren’t sleeping and it was really affecting our health,’ she said.
Her partner Phillip Straker added: ‘Relief is not really the right word but it helps that we know what we have got to deal with.’
Mr and Mrs Straker feel as though there was ‘no communication’ between the government and local community.
‘We’ve had Afghan families in there. Well, they were fine. We’d wave to them, they’d wave back, all very respectful,’ Mrs Straker said.
‘We’ve got Ukrainian families in town, absolutely fine, but to compare that to what’s going to – well, what is happening now – is just absolutely ridiculous, there’s no comparison.’
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called the arrival of migrants into the camp ‘another day of shame’ for the Labour government.
‘Illegal immigrants are costing £4billion a year to house and they pose a threat to local communities up and down the country,’ he said.
Beds at the training camp which is now housing its first male asylum seekers
A shower at the military barracks that is now being used to house migrants
The outside of an interview suite at Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex
‘We have seen hundreds of crimes committed by illegal immigrants in asylum accommodation, including many rapes, sexual assaults and even murder.
‘Now the women and children of Crowborough will be exposed to those risks too.’
The asylum seekers will be kept there for up to three months while their claims are processed, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood saying ‘Crowborough is just the start’ and that the move will help the government close migrant hotels.
However, residents in the town, who have fought to stop the plans from going ahead, have vowed to keep fighting against the ‘unlawful’ decision to open the camp.
Campaign group Crowborough Shield has accused Ms Mahmood of ‘shamefully’ failing to participate in a judicial review and said they hope to get an injunction against the scheme in the courts.
Mr Philp labelled the decision ‘another day of shame for the Labour government’ and said women and children in the town could be exposed to risk of ‘rapes, sexual assaults and even murder’ from detainees.
Residents have taken to the streets every Sunday for months, insisting that the migrant camp would threaten the safety and wellbeing of people living nearby.
Wealden District Council leader James Partridge said the government refused to listen to the concerns of residents and that ‘we strongly feel this is the wrong decision’. He said the council was also considering taking the government to court over the plans.
Mr Partridge said: ‘The Home Office has now decided to open the Crowborough Army Camp for use as a temporary site for asylum seekers.
Police officers stand outside Crowborough Training Camp today after the first group of migrants arrived
An aerial view of the former military barracks this morning, with a police presence in the area
Police officers outside the former military base this afternoon after the arrival of illegal migrants
‘I told the minister we strongly feel that is the wrong decision. Despite our strong objection the minister hasn’t listened to any of us. The camp is likely to open in the next few days.
‘So what happens next – there are two immediate points. First we have contacted our legal team to ask them to review the decision to see if there’s any way we can bring a legal challenge to it.
‘We know this is a long shot but we have been probing the Home Office throughout the process to see if we can find a way to bring a successful legal action. We will act if our barristers advise there is a reasonable chance of success.
‘Second, we have to recognise that it is very likely the camp will open. Whilst we know a lot of people will be angry, frightened and worried about this, we’re going to have to find a way make the best of it.’
It comes days after the latest protest staged by hundreds of residents, who took to the streets on Sunday in a final bid to stop the plans going ahead.
They gathered outside the former barracks before marching through the town holding placards that read ‘Crowborough says no’.
The Tory frontbencher added: ‘This site was used to train 6,000 Army and RAF cadets each year as well as for police and fire training.
‘They have all now been kicked out to accommodate illegal immigrants instead.
A room inside the military barracks that will be used to house more male asylum seekers
The outside of one of the buildings at Crowborough’s training camp for migrants
Tables and chairs in a communal space at the Army barracks in Sussex
‘Only the Conservatives have a plan to deal with this – come out of the European Convention on Human Rights and deport all illegal immigrants within a week of arrival.
‘Then the boats will stop and we will not need to accommodate tens of thousands of illegal immigrants.’
Campaigners have spoken of their concerns over the plans, arguing the decision to start moving migrants into the camp is unlawful.
Chair of the Crowborough Shield campaign Kim Bailey said the group are hoping to get an injunction following the decision.
In a statement, she said: ‘We will be considering with our legal team the possibility of obtaining an injunction to prevent occupation (or further occupation) of the site and in any event will be continuing our judicial review which the Home Secretary has shamefully failed to properly participate in.
‘The hopelessly inadequate, dishonest and biased Screening Direction that has had to be issued to support the Home Secretary’s decision, clearly supports our case that this entire scheme is unlawful.
‘We intend to continue to pursue the Home Secretary to judgment.’
Equipment on the grounds of the barracks ready for the first group of migrants who arrived in the early hours of the morning
A crowd of campaigners took to the streets of Crowborough waving flags for the 12th week in a row on Sunday
Since the announcement, furious locals have marched through the Sussex town every Sunday
A spokesman for the Crowborough Shield residents’ group said in a video message to supporters on its Facebook site: ‘The Home Office and the Home Secretary do not give a damn about the impact on this community.
‘They did not give 48 hours’ notice, which we knew they were never going to do.
‘Wealden District Council don’t appear to be considering a stop order, so we are meeting with the legal team and I will update you later.’
One member of another Crowborough residents’ group on Facebook said: ‘Everything the authorities have done about the camp has been done underhand.
‘They don’t even have the decency to be open and honest about it. And they wonder why people are angry and upset.’
The accommodation in Crowborough has 24/7 security with CCTV and sign-in processes for residents.
They will also have completed health and police checks before arriving at the base.
Home Secretary Ms Mahmood said: ‘Illegal migration has been placing immense pressure on communities.
‘That is why we are removing the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain, closing asylum hotels that are blighting communities.
‘Crowborough is just the start. I will bring forward site after site until every asylum hotel is closed and returned to local communities.
‘I will not rest until order and control to our borders is restored.’
local MP Nusrat Ghani said: ‘This is a blow. Like many Sussex Weald residents, I have been fighting the Home Office on its plans to house asylum seekers at Crowborough Training Camp.
‘I now hear that the deal is done and the Home Office have moved asylum seekers in.
‘The Home Office have not bothered to share their evidence of how the site is safe, legal and compliant. The Home Office have not given us any notice on not only their decision, but moving in asylum seekers.
‘I have been fighting the Home Office every single day since the story broke in October last year.
‘This is a nonsensical decision from the Home Office. The Crowborough Training Camp was previously rejected, and uniquely is the most active training camp facility in the South East, not only for the Army and Royal Air Force Cadets, but also for our Police and Fire Services. They have all been kicked out.
‘I have stood up for the Crowborough community since the outset and have been working with the Crowborough community and sharing our legitimate concerns. I have challenged the Minister multiple times in meetings and have held the Home Office to account on over 50 occasions. Their lack of transparency is shameful.
‘Wealden District Council is run by the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party and as the planning authority, they are the lead partner with the Home Office. The community have pleaded with them to take legal action on the grounds of planning, environmental concerns, and health and safety.
‘They are yet to evidence what legal action they will be taking. Now that the Home Office have occupied the site, it is for Wealden District Council to step up and take legal action.
‘It is for Wealden District Council to explain how they will be working with the Home Office and local services to manage this and keep the community updated.’
Latest Home Office figures show the number of asylum seekers being temporarily housed in hotels increased by 13 per cent to 36,273 at the end of September.
