Muhammad, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, has received his asylum decision allowing him to stay in the UK. But the good news brings a new problem: he must leave the budget hotel in Yorkshire where he has been living for months, and he has nowhere else to go. He faces the prospect of homelessness.
The hotel, one of many used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers, has become a focal point for controversy. Residents are often from war zones and are not permitted to work. Muhammad, who also studies for a master's degree, says the local community misunderstands them. 'They think that immigrants are somehow criminals,' he said.
Muhammad fled Afghanistan after being arrested for teaching secret classes to women and girls, banned from university. He was tortured in prison and suffers from PTSD. Two young Eritreans, Leul and Ledo, are also staying at the hotel. They are Pentecostal Christians, a religion banned in Eritrea. Leul travelled for two years to reach the UK. 'Here, it’s like a modern prison… We don’t do anything – no work, no learning, just sit in the hotel,' he said.
During the year, the hotel has been targeted by protesters and even physically attacked. But behind closed doors, residents dream of work, security, and the simple freedom to choose what they eat.
