Overview
- Katy Bourne published a New Year think piece urging electronic tags for asylum seekers, starting with the men due to arrive in Crowborough.
- She argued tagging could expand movement and access to temporary work while flagging absconding, and she has requested several million pounds in extra policing funds.
- The Home Office says it will close asylum hotels and place people in larger sites such as military bases, with the Crowborough transfer prompting large local protests.
- Articles note existing law permits electronic monitoring for people facing deportation subject to human-rights or practicality limits, so wider tagging would mark a policy shift.
- Local campaigners called for risk assessments and democratic engagement, while the Sussex Green Party deputy co-leader condemned tagging and cited a 2022–23 trial she says was ruled unlawful.