A migrant was pinned to a fence and dragged away after he tried to speak to reporters at the Manston processing centre – moments after senior MPs visited and questioned why the Home Office was not prepared.
Photographers were taking pictures at the site in Kent when the man shouted “help” – repeatedly – and waved towards the cameras.
Staff asked him to stop after he claimed he had been at the site for 30 days.
When he refused to cease shouting he was photographed being pinned against a fence by four or five members of staff before being dragged away.
It happened shortly after a cross-party group of MPs from three parliamentary committees visited the site amid concerns about overcrowding.
Dame Diana Johnson, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, said staff had made “valiant efforts to improve conditions for detainees” but warned the crisis “is not over”.
She said the group of MPs encountered families who had been sleeping “on mats on the floor for weeks”.
And she questioned the legality of Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s decision to detain people at Manston for longer than 24 hours.
Dame Diana, the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull North, also hit out at the Home Office for failing to prepare for the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, saying it will “not have been a surprise to the government, so why were adequate preparations not made?”.
“This question matters – because we may still see another major upsurge in the number of people arriving at Manston before the end of this year,” she said.
“The home secretary needs to end this crisis once and for all. That requires dealing with the backlog in the asylum system and establishing a system that is efficient and fair.”
SNP MP Anum Qaisar said she had seen “tents with young children inside them”, adding: “I am very uncomfortable with what I’ve seen today.”
Because the weather is relatively mild, children were heard playing inside the compound.
People are supposed to spend only a short time at Manston – a former Ministry of Defence fire training centre – while undergoing checks.
It is now back to a relatively safe occupancy level of 1,600 people after reaching a high of 4,000 last week.
Ms Qaisar is on the Women and Equalities Committee. MPs from the Home Affairs Committee and the Joint Committee on Human Rights also attended.
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A Home Office spokesperson said: “The home secretary has taken urgent decisions to alleviate issues at Manston and source alternative accommodation.
“We take the safety and welfare of those in our care extremely seriously and all basic needs are provided for including hot food, fresh clothing, sanitary packs, and medical care where needed.
“Thanks to our hard-working staff, Manston remains resourced and equipped to process people securely and keep the public safe while we find alternative accommodation as soon as possible.”
