More than 70 detainees are refusing to get onto buses which will take them to other detention centres while asbestos is being removed from the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney.
The detainees have told refugee advocates they fear the move wiil be permanent and community links they have made over the past few years will be severed.
Jamal Daoud from the Refugee Action Coalition says 15 detainees have been taken away, and now the guards are trying to convince the others to board the buses.
"At the moment it is just verbally, they are trying to convince them to get on the buses, there is some intimidation, but until now there is no violence."
"They think this is another conspiracy of the government just to disperse them around the country."