Migrant staying at Manston processing centre in Kent dies in hospital after becoming ill
19 November 2022, 18:12 | Updated: 19 November 2022, 20:11
A migrant staying at the Manston processing centre in Kent died in hospital after becoming unwell, the Home Office has said.
The Home Office said in a statement: "We express our heartfelt condolences to all those affected.
"We take the safety of those in our care extremely seriously and are profoundly saddened by this event.
"A post-mortem examination will take place so it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."
But they added there was "no evidence at this stage to suggest that this tragic death was caused by an infectious disease".
"We take the safety and welfare of those in our care extremely seriously and provide 24/7 health facilities with trained medical staff at Manston."
The man arrived in the UK a week ago and was being processed at the site.
He became ill while being held there and was rushed to hospital, where he died.
The case has been sent to the coroner and the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Read more: Devon Council takes Home Office to court to stop third hotel being used to house migrants
Earlier this month hundreds of people had to be moved out of the site after it became dangerously overcrowded.
The situation was labelled a “breach of humane conditions.”
The site, which opened in January this year, was designed to hold up to 1,600 people for no more than 24 hours.
But there were reports of people being forced to sleep on the floor, being held there for extended periods of time, and reports of outbreaks of contagious diseases.
A report of the site carried out in July this year by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found migrants on the site were sleeping on floors and unable to use the toilet in privacy.
Following the report's publication, Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor urged the government department and its contractors to speed up the processing of migrants and make "suitable provisions" so people can be moved off the site as quickly as possible.
The report also found trafficking victims and vulnerable people “were not always assessed or recorded appropriately.”
Some detainees were banned from using mobile phones to tell their families they were safe. In some areas of the site detainees were not allowed to fully close toilet doors.
The inspection highlighted a number of ‘risks’ associated with the facility.
