EXCLUSIVE: Asylum seekers housed on Portland barge respond to Home Secretary's comments on migrants
They've been sharing their personal experiences with us
Asylum seekers, who stayed on board the Bibby Stockholm Barge at Portland Port, have called on the government to “be human,” following the Home Secretary’s speech at the Conservative Party Conference.
Suella Braverman said the country has been "generous" for taking in refugees, but in statements shared exclusively with us, asylum seekers refuted these claims.
One man told us: “Life on the barge was very difficult, the rooms were small and there was a lot of security walking around. It really did feel like a prison.”
Another agreed: “It was very sad and there was no hope to continue living. I was sick and I couldn't sleep at night because of the anxiety and worry.”
The Home Secretary has promised to “close down asylum hotels” and persist with the government's plan to house migrants in barges and on military bases.
She also vowed to “do what it takes to stop the boats” as well as bring legal migration down to “reasonable levels” and only when it “benefits the British people.”
These are concerted efforts to, in her words, deter “bogus” asylum seekers.
Another asylum seeker we spoke to contested this, he said: “I immigrated urgently with thousands of dangers and fears in order to not be imprisoned and killed by the inhumane laws in a dictator’s government.”
Another man added: ““International law protects asylum seekers. I know people who have been waiting years for their asylum claim to be processed. I have family and a daughter; I cannot bear all this time away from them living in uncertainty.”
According to the Home Office, small boat crossings are down by 20% in the last year, but Ms Braverman warned that “a hurricane of migrants is coming.”
A fifth refugee has called on the home Secretary to show some compassion, he said: “I suffered a lot to come to England. I spent many days in captivity because of smugglers and sometimes they didn't even give us food.”