Migrants are leaving a secret UK military island after three years

Migrants stranded for more than three years on the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia have been brought to the UK.

Sri Lankan Tamils ​​have been allowed to stay in the country for six months, with financial assistance from the Foreign Office, according to documents seen by the BBC.

Their trip to the UK marks the end of years of complex legal battles fought over thousands of miles over their future, but their long-term future remains uncertain.

Most of the group of around 60 migrants have been living in a temporary camp in Diego Garcia – the site of a UK-US military base – since October 2021, when they became the first people ever to apply for asylum there.

On Monday, a government spokesman described the move as “one action, due to the unique nature of these cases and the interests of their welfare”.

“This government has inherited a very difficult situation that has not been resolved for years,” the spokesman said.

Tessa Gregory of UK law firm Leigh Day, which is representing some of the migrants, said it was a “reasonable solution to end the population crisis” on the island.

“This is a vulnerable group of 16 children who spent 38 months in Crown custody under the worst conditions in the world… we hope our clients will be able to seek safety and start rebuilding their lives,” he said.

The BBC gained unprecedented access earlier this year to Diego Garcia and a refugee camp there, where Tamils ​​were housed in groups in military tents, some of which had leaks and rats breeding inside.

During their time on the island, there were many hunger strikes and many incidents of self-harm and suicide attempts in response to the situation, after which some people were transferred to Rwanda for treatment.

There were also allegations of sexual abuse and torture inside the camp.

Migrants told the BBC it was like living in “hell”.

The Rwandans were also brought to the UK, arriving by plane on Tuesday morning.

Another told the BBC: “I hope to turn a new page. I hope my life will improve and I will change into a new person.”

Two men with criminal convictions and another under investigation are still living on the island, the BBC understands.

The arrival of Tamils ​​in the UK comes amid uncertainty over the future of the area.

The UK announced in October that it would cede control of the Chagos Islands, of which Diego Garcia is a part, to Mauritius. But the new prime minister of Mauritius He said he has reservations about the agreement, struck by his predecessor and yet to be signed, and he has called for an independent review.

The deal is facing opposition from some UK politicians and allies of US President-elect Donald Trump.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has he lowered criticism, describing it as a “good deal” for both Mauritius and the UK, and saying it addresses US concerns about the future of the Diego Garcia base.

In recent years, this area has been costing the UK tens of millions of pounds, and most of this has been classified under “immigration costs”.

Communications obtained by the BBC between Foreign Office officials in July warned that “costs are rising and the latest forecast is that these will be £50m a year” if they remain in place.

In letters sent to the Tamils ​​on Friday from the Home Office, they were told they were being granted temporary permission to enter the UK “outside the Immigration Rules” to allow them to consider their “long-term options”.

It stressed that the application “does not constitute permanent residence in the UK or recognition of refugee status by the UK government”, and said the group would not be allowed to operate.

The government says the Chagos Islands, known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (Biot), are “constitutionally separate” from the UK, an unusual situation that has led to a long legal dispute.

Most Tamils ​​were waiting for final decisions on applications for international protection – which the United Nations says are equivalent to refugee status – or to appeal rejections.

In total, eight have been granted international protection, meaning they will not be returned to Sri Lanka, the BBC understands.

Successive governments have said that bringing Tamils ​​to the UK would risk creating a “back migration route”.

But the government said on Monday that arrangements had been made to ensure this did not happen, citing an agreement to send those arriving to St Helena – another UK destination 5,000 miles away.

“Once the sovereign agreement with Mauritius is fully operational they will be responsible for any future migrants,” the spokesman said.