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Photos and fingerprints are not being taken for all migrants and hundreds have disappeared from hotels

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The Tug Haven processing facility (pictured) has been closed and moved to the Western Jetfoil site

Security and vulnerability checks for migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats are being missed because of failings by the Home Office, a report has found.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) warned of a “system failure” at processing sites in Kent.

A report published on Thursday, after its publication was delayed by three months by the Home Office, said photos and fingerprints were not always being taken from new arrivals, and that hundreds have gone missing from hotels.

At the same time, the identification of trafficking victims was limited, interpreters were not being used and migrants were being made to point to a cardboard sign displaying numbers to identify their age - “despite most coming from countries where the Roman alphabet was not used”.

The report said that on arrival, migrants were immediately arrested as part of a set process but were not “consistently informed of the reason for the arrest and why it was necessary to arrest them”.

“The Home Office’s performance in delivering an effective and efficient response to the challenge posed by the increasing volume of migrant arrivals via small boats is poor,” said chief inspector David Neal.

“In my judgement, this arises principally from a refusal to transition from an emergency response to what has rapidly become steady state, or business as usual.”

The inspection examined the initial processing of migrants arriving via small boats at the Tug Haven processing facility and its successor Western Jet Foil, where all activity now takes place.

It found that despite four years of rising Channel crossings, and negative reports by other watchdogs, the Home Office still considers the situation to be an “emergency” and was “in a constantly reactive state”.

Facilities and processes had “expanded piecemeal” and did not meet operational requirements, the report said.

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The Tug Haven processing facility (pictured) has been closed and moved to the Western Jetfoil site

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