A High Court ruling has opened the door for councils nationwide to challenge the use of hotels accommodating asylum seekers, as the government scrambles for alternatives with fresh protests expected.

Officials from the Epping Forest District Council asked a judge to issue an order to temporarily block migrants from being accommodated at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, due to “unprecedented levels of protest and disruption” over asylum-seeker accommodation.

A High Court Judge ruled that asylum seekers can no longer be housed at a hotel in Epping that has been the site of multiple protests in recent weeks. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.