The Manston immigration short-term holding facility in Thanet, Kent. PA
The Manston immigration short-term holding facility in Thanet, Kent. PA
The Manston immigration short-term holding facility in Thanet, Kent. PA
The Manston immigration short-term holding facility in Thanet, Kent. PA

Manston migrant centre now empty as backlog moved to hotels


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

All migrants have been moved from the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent and it is now completely empty after concerns it had become dangerously overcrowded.

The site is meant to house those who have recently crossed the Channel into the UK but all have now been moved to hotels, Home Office sources confirmed.

The facility is still open and will continue to be used as needed to carry out initial checks on arriving migrants.

At its peak earlier this month, 4,000 people were being housed at the site — at least double its 1,600-person capacity — in what was branded as a “breach of humane conditions”.

Since then, numbers have gradually declined as people were moved out of the site.

Manston, by design, is meant to be a temporary holding facility, where people are processed before moving on — normally, fairly quickly,” said the prime minister’s official spokesman.

“Obviously there were immediate challenges, particularly after the attack at the other centre, which caused numbers to spike, so you would expect numbers to be relatively low on a daily basis as people are moved through quickly.”

In December, an attacker carried out a petrol bombing on a British immigration border force facility in Dover.

Migrants at immigration processing centre in Manston — in pictures

More than 42,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel, provisional government figures show.

No journeys have been recorded by the Ministry of Defence for the past seven days amid bad weather.

It comes as a man died in hospital after being held at the processing centre.

It is thought he crossed the Channel on November 12 before being taken to Manston.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said there was no evidence at this stage to suggest the death was caused by an infectious disease and it is suspected the man was already unwell before he came to the UK.

A postmortem is due to be carried out and the case has been referred to the Prison and Probation Ombudsman and the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

But the police watchdog said it had reviewed the case and will not be investigating as it “does not have the jurisdiction” to do so and the matter does “not fall under our remit”.

Migrant crossings on the English Channel surge amid heatwave — in pictures

The former military airfield near Ramsgate has been dogged by controversy over the past few weeks, with ministers coming under fire over conditions.

Last month, chief inspector of borders and immigration David Neal told MPs he was left “speechless” by the “wretched” conditions at the site and laid bare the scale of the overcrowding chaos when he warned Manston was already past the point of being unsafe.

The facility is designed to hold migrants for a maximum of 24 hours but stays of up to five days are permitted in exceptional circumstances.

Does the UK have a migrant crisis? — video

But Mr Neal described how he had met families who had been living there for a month and had to sleep on the floor of a marquee.

A week later, chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor called on the Home Office to “get a grip” on the problems at the site and said the government department and its contractors must “speed up the processing of migrants so people can be moved off the site as quickly as possible”.

Cases of diphtheria — a highly contagious infection that can prove fatal if not treated quickly — had also been reported at Manston.

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Bio

Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
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5. Zakat 

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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Keep it fun and engaging

Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.

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His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.

He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.

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Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
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Frank Lampard 29

Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

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 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: November 23, 2022, 6:55 AM`