Asylum seekers moved into former army camp under Labour push to close migrant hotels

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"Moving asylum seekers to large sites like Crowborough is part of the Home Office's plan to close down costly migrant hotels. The Crowborough camp was most recently used to house Afghan families on the resettlement programme. Larger sites, such as the Bibby Stockholm barge, have been used to house migrants in the past and RAF Wethersfield is still in use despite a legal action finding failings at the site."

The Independent funds on-the-ground reporting across topics including reproductive rights, climate change and Big Tech, producing investigations and documentaries while avoiding paywalls and soliciting donations to sustain reporting. Twenty-seven asylum seekers were moved into the Crowborough military barracks in East Sussex under cover of darkness, the first arrivals at a former army camp that the Home Office plans to scale to 540 people. Asylum seekers will be housed for three months while claims are processed; local councillors say the site will be used for only a year. The move forms part of a plan to close costly migrant hotels and reuse large sites.

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