Asylum seekers stuck in the system 'not happy' after having little chance to integrate
Residents of one village tell Sky News some are anxious about having asylum seekers housed nearby, but some say the situation would be improved if they had something to do while they wait for their claims to be processed.
Monday 13 February 2023 21:24, UK
It was not lost on the asylum seekers that some people find their presence intimidating.
We visited a quintessentially English village in the Home Counties - with its beautiful church spire and village green.
In the heart of the village a mock Tudor-fronted hotel, which used to pride itself on being a perfect location for weddings, had a sign-up informing visitors it's closed to the public.
At the back of the hotel some of the new residents, who are young male asylum seekers, peered through windows.
Some of them came out to tell us they are from a variety of countries including Pakistan, Eritrea, Sudan and Tanzania.
We won't say exactly where we were because hotels housing asylum seekers in other parts of the country have been targeted by extremists.
Critics have said that years spent stuck in the system without a decision to accept or reject asylum claims prevents integration and can stir up frustration and suspicion within communities.
Read more:
Fifteen people arrested over violent disorder outside hotel housing asylum seekers
Migrants waiting to cross Channel say they will attempt journey despite deaths
'They don't know their background'
The concern among some locals was that nothing is known about the young men who have been moved in.
Local resident Karen Byrne said some are uneasy.
"They don't know where the asylum seekers are from. They don't know their background."
In a barber's shop, Ali Eren, told us: "I speak to a lot of people in the village.
"They'd usually let their kids roam around at night when they play with their bikes and some of them are thinking twice."
'They look almost like they just have nothing to do'
Estate agent Mo Tariq can see the asylum seekers standing across the road from the hotel from his office window.
He said: "I feel like maybe we should have some system in place - something for them to do here, because what often happens, in my view from where I'm sitting, is that they just stand around and they look almost like they just have nothing to do."
The fact is the asylum seekers don't have anything to do - they are not allowed to work while their claims are processed, and they are bored and unhappy.
There are nearly 40,000 asylum seekers in the UK waiting for their claims to be processed. And the accommodation they're waiting in is costing taxpayers £5.5m a day.
'I'm not happy'
Abdullah Al-Mazrui from Tanzania said: "I'm not happy in the hotel and I'm not happy [with] this whole situation about the Home Office.
"Because the Home Office sent me a message to grant me accommodation and support but they didn't give me enough support."
But when I asked him why he doesn't return to Tanzania - a safe country - he said that, for him, his country of birth is not safe.
He said: "When I go back to home country I'm going to die.
"They're going to kill me.
"Society and the government as well.
"I'm a gay man."
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Omar is from Eritrea. He has been waiting eight years for his claim to be processed.
He said: "For me it's still absolutely terrible.
"It's not good. It's not good.
"You just eat, go back to your room, eat, go back to your room. That's all day."