Suffolk refugees: Why are asylum seekers coming to Ipswich?

Kaiwan, Kamal and Ghidey are being housed in a hotel outside the town, having travelled thousands of miles to flee wars, dictatorships and death. 

The use of hotels for asylum seekers is currently at the centre of a High Court injunction after Ipswich Borough Council challenged the use of Novotel by the government. 

Calls to extend the injunction was refused by the High Court on Friday.

The three men understand the experience of those that have come to the town centre hotel. 

While they all said that they are grateful to the UK government for giving them a place of safety, they struggle with the uncertainty the future holds. 

Some refugees have been housed in hotels for almost a year, or even longer and feel that their lives have been put on hold.   

Kaiwan, a former teacher from Iraqi-Kurdistan, arrived in the UK on December 19, 2021.  

He explained that he signed a contract with a group of “agents”, who promised that they get him out of his country.  

He spent a month being transferred from lorry to lorry with other refugees, threatened at gun point by the traffickers.   

“We didn’t know where we were going,” he said. “We weren’t allowed to ask. Sometimes they would punch us or slap us in the face, if someone was talking too much or asking questions.  

“It was especially dangerous for families and women. They would threaten sexual abuse against them.”   

Eventually, he made it to Calais.   

“We didn’t know we were in France at the time. We were too scared to talk to the police. The agents said, if you say anything, you will be deported and arrested.”   

“I understand now that wasn’t true.” He explained that in Iraq, people fear the police.   

He explained that every person who ran away represented a loss of money to the traffickers. The agents threatened that, should any of the refugees attempt to escape, their families would be killed.  

The most difficult part of the journey, he said, was crossing the sea to the UK.  

“We didn’t want to get in the boat,” he said. “The waves coming off the sea were one metre high.  

“It was so scary, early morning in December. The water was so cold. Most of us had never even been swimming before.  

“They pushed us to walk through the water, towards the boat.  

“The boat was small. It should only have had about 20 people on it. There were about 35 people.  

“Some of them got on the boat, but the agents would throw them into the water again because there were too many.  

“We couldn’t say anything. Agents were waiting on the beach and they had guns.”  

However, they were met by British authorities before they reached the shore.  

“We knew that this was the UK border because we could see the flag,” he explained.   

“When the police border force came, the agent didn’t say anything. He just moved away from his place so they wouldn’t know he was driving the boat.”  

Although Kaiwan is just 27, his beard has turned white. He puts this down to the stress of his ordeal.  

Kaiwan was taken first to Southampton, and then to Ipswich in January.   

Also with him in the hotel is Ghidey, who comes from Eritrea. He has not seen his young son in six years.  

Ghidey said that he still loves his country, Eritrea, but hates its government. (Image: Newsquest)

Ghidey said that people in his native country are not truly free, with many forced to spend decades in the military.  

“I wanted to change my life,” he said. “There is no choice in our country. Our leader is a dictator. He has been the leader for almost 30 years.”   

“I love my country, but the government I hate.”   

He said that many will spend decades forced to fight in the military. They are paid just $30 a month, and see their families just one month out of the year.  

“It’s not enough. You can’t help your family,” he said.  

Ghidey spent 10 years in the military himself, from 2006 to 2016. When he left, he went first to Sudan, and then to Libya. This was mostly on foot.  

“They were very difficult places,” he said. “People were suffering. Some people die in front of you, because they’re thirsty and they can’t eat.”  

He kept walking, keeping to villages as the police in town were likely to arrest him.   

Eventually, he made it to Italy.  

“This was during the European Union relocation,” he explained. He was taken to Germany by airplane.  

However, he was not given status in Germany, and in 2021 made the decision to try to get to the UK, where he had a relative.  

He took a train to France, and then a boat to Dover, where he too was met by the UK authorities.  

He spent six months in London, and then was taken to Ipswich. He has been at the hotel for 11 months now.   

He is thankful to be safe, but said that this time in limbo, unable to work and uncertain as to how long he must remain in the hotel, puts a great strain on his mental health.  

Kamal, from Afghanistan, agreed. 

Each refugee being housed in the hotel receives £8.24 per week from the government to spend on clothes, shoes and transport. However, the bank cards they receive do not function without a minimum amount of £10.   

Asylum seekers are not permitted to work until they have had their substantive asylum interview with the Home Office - without this no decision can be made on their asylum claim.  

They have no way of knowing how long this will take. The backlog of cases means that many, like Kaiwan and Ghidey, can wait months.   

Kamal, a 22-year-old student, has been in the UK since December 22, 2021.  

Kamal, a 22-year-old student, has been in the UK since December 22, 2021.   (Image: Kamal)

He left Afghanistan with his brother, and the two spent four months travelling from country to country, being forced to move on by border officials.   

He said that those at the border would not allow refugees to remain in a country, but wanted them to keep moving.  

“In Greece, when police catch you, they take off your clothes and torture you. Then they send you back to the border in Turkey,” he said.  

“They move us from one country to another.”  

Like Kaiwan, he crossed the border between France and the UK by boat. Kamal cannot swim, and had never even seen the sea.  

“When we were in the sea, we called the police,” he said.  

“We were sinking.  We were in the middle of the water, and we didn’t know how to swim. The boat was making a noise like it was broken. Everyone took out their phones and made emergency calls.”  

Some refugees make their way to the UK by boat. Credit: PA (Image: PA)

After almost two hours, the police arrived.   

Kamal was taken to an immigration centre in Nottingham. After two weeks, he was taken to the hotel in Ipswich. His brother was taken to different accommodation.  

He has been able to visit his brother once, but this is incredibly difficult as a train ticket can cost £50 to £70, and the refugees are not permitted to leave the hotel for more than three days.  

He said the effect of living in the hotel with no idea when their asylum claim may be processed puts a great strain on the refugees’ mental health.  

“When you do nothing but eat and then go back to your room, it makes you feel hopeless,” he said.” 

Kaiwan agreed. “When people arrived, at first, they were energetic. But day by day, they don’t come out as much. They are just in their rooms.” 

There are two refugees in each room, they struggle with this lack of privacy for so many months.  

Being on the edge of the town, there is very little the refugees are able to do. Their nearest shop is a thirty-minute walk away, and a bus fare can use up half of their weekly allowance from the government.  

Suffolk Refugee Support centre has been arranging activities for them, such as football and boxing, as well as a pop-up stall with winter clothing. It also provides support helping the refugees appointments with GPs and dentists, something which has proved incredibly difficult.  

The centre is also delivering English classes, and helping the refugees find volunteering opportunities. 

It works particularly closely with families and children, for whom the uncertainty is particularly challenging. 

Kaiwan said that many refugees are fearful of being deported to Rwanda. This scheme was introduced under then-home secretary Priti Patel. Credit: PA (Image: PA)

Kaiwan said that since the news of the government’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, many of those in the hotel have become fearful that they will be forced to leave the UK.  

“People are scared by the news,” he said. “They get scared when politicians say bad things about us, that we are criminals or invading.  

“We just want to live safely and peacefully.”  

Neither Kaiwan, Ghidey or Kamal have any idea how much longer they will be housed in the hotel.  

Ghidey knows that his family has been living in Ethiopia for the past four years. He knows that they are safe, but has no idea when he will be reunited with them.  

He speaks to his six-year-old son over the phone, but has not been able to see him since shortly after he was born.   

“One day, I will see him again,” he said.