August 7th 2023.
Ascension Island, a British Overseas Territory located 4,000 miles away in the South Atlantic Ocean, is reportedly being considered as a 'plan B' for the government's migrant processing plans. The remote island was originally floated as a potential site for an asylum centre by Priti Patel three years ago and is now being revived due to legal setbacks concerning plans to fly migrants to Rwanda.
Ascension Island is 34 square miles in size and has no permanent population. All of the island's residents are employees or their families. The government's 'small boats week' has also seen the arrival of the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland Port, Dorset, which is expected to house up to 500 men aged between 18 and 65.
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has said that the barge is a safe facility and that it will welcome its first occupants 'in the coming days'. However, dozens of human rights organisations and campaigners have signed an open letter last month condemning the barge plans as 'cruel and inhumane'. The firefighters' union has also warned that overcrowding and access to fire exits would make the barge a 'potential deathtrap'.
To further tackle the migrant crisis, the government is also set to increase fines for employers and landlords who allow people who arrive by irregular means to work for them or live in their properties. Civil penalties for employers will be increased to a maximum of £45,000 per worker for a first breach, and £60,000 for repeat offenders. Landlords face fines from £1,000 per occupier to £10,000, with repeat breaches going from £3,000 to £20,000.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
