Dorset asylum seeker barge will not be like a prison, says minister

The Guardian says A barge due to be used to house hundreds of asylum seekers in Dorset is not a prison but efforts will be made to avoid asylum seekers needing to leave the port to access services in the local community, a minister has said.

As the government struggled to drum up support among local politicians for the plans, the transport minister Richard Holden claimed amenities such as doctors’ surgeries would be set up on site.

He said the barge and other similar planned projects would be “places for people to be safe and secure while their immigration claims and asylum claims are processed”.

In the short term, Holden acknowledged there would be a significant turnover of asylum seekers “moving in and out” as their applications were processed. But he stressed the move was designed to deter more people arriving in small boats across the Channel.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/06/dorset-asylum-seeker-barge-will-not-be-like-prison