UK sets up two new barges to house asylum seekers

In the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to drastically reduce the number of Channel crossings, and one of the pillars of this promise is deterrence. The British Prime Minister has just announced two new barges for the accommodation of asylum seekers.

Barge undergoing renovation in Falmouth, on the coast of Cornwall, southwest England, May 11, 2023. The British government is seeking deterrents to limit the arrival of migrants crossing the Channel. © BEN STANSALL / AFP

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With our correspondent in London, Emeline Vin

Curbing illegal immigration is one of the official objectives of the British government... A thousand asylum seekers will be able to be accommodated, while their applications are examined, on these two barges that look like a long block of container apartments on three floors placed on the water.

The cost of these two new barges has not been disclosed by Downing Street, but Rishi Sunak ensures that the use of these boats will save nearly 300 million euros a year to the British taxpayer, reducing the dependence on hotels for the accommodation of migrants. A first barge is due to enter service this month, in Portland, at an estimated daily cost of 20,000 euros.

Residents' protests

In Portland, residents demonstrated to protest the arrival of the boat and the approximately 500 migrants, who will receive around 10 euros per week. The location of the two new barges is not yet known. The government assures however that the barges will "relieve" the communities that receive asylum seekers.

The opposition believes that the executive should instead focus on reducing the processing time for asylum applications, which take several years and continue to grow.

► READ ALSO: The British Home Secretary wants to house refugees on barges

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  • United Kingdom
  • Immigration
  • International migration