Plans for the centre have been criticised by Belgium’s federal government, which is ultimately responsible for asylum and migration policy.

But Sammy Mahdi, Belgium’s secretary of state for asylum and migration, is powerless to close the facility as migrants who don’t want to or cannot apply for asylum do not fall under his remit, according to his spokeswoman.

Mr Mahdi said the centre in Brussels was “ill-considered”.

Peter Bone, Conservative MP for Wellingborough and a former chairman of the APPG on human trafficking, said the centre would become a hub for people smugglers to operate from in the future.

“It’s a bed and accommodation en route for the traffickers, this seems to be a decision that follows no logic at all to me,” he told the Telegraph.

“Why would a regional government in Belgium support and aid people trafficking… because that’s what they’re doing. From a trafficker’s point of view, it’s an even easier model for them to take advantage of.”

‘The Brussels government are now people traffickers’

David Jones, a former Tory minister, said: “Setting up transit camps will simply encourage the traffickers and lead to many more migrants attempting to cross the Channel, putting their own and others’ lives at risk.

“Belgium would be better advised to work with the UK in finding ways to deter this evil trade.”

Andrew Bridgen, Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire, said: “Here we have clear evidence of Brussels aiding, abetting and facilitating economic migrants’ passage through the EU to the UK.

“We urgently need to remove the incentives for illegal migration, only by removing the ‘pull factors’ will we deter these people that Brussels refers to as ‘transmigrants’.”

Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party and the Brexit Party, added: “This is outrageous, the local Brussels government are now people traffickers.”