A migrant detention center has been branded ‘inhumane’ by Britain’s Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) – a prison watchdog –because it lacks a hair salon, cultural kitchen, high-speed Wi-Fi, and iPads to help illegal migrants make friends.
The female-only detention center, based in the North of England, is considered too far away from the more prosperous South East, which could leave the illegal migrants “tired, disorientated or stressed” if they decide to make the journey, the IMB argues. The report also laments that a doctor visits “only twice a week” as well blasting the “unreliable” internet reception in the area, which would be insufficient to support the recommended iPads.
As a result, representatives of the IMB have advised the British government to re-evaluate the center’s suitability to house illegal migrants, despite the fact the investigation found the “accommodation is in good condition and kept clean and tidy” and that all residents are being treated with “respect and kindness by staff.”
The center is run by a private firm on behalf of the government at a cost of £100,000 per year for each illegal migrant in residence. As of last year, the British government was spending £7 million per day to house migrants, many of whom arrived by crossing the English Channel in contravention of British law.
“This is a modern, comfortable facility for housing individuals who should not be in this country and are awaiting deportation. The strength of the mobile signal and the quality of the internet are not high priorities,” a government source told The Daily Telegraph in response to the IMB’s complaints.
