Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says protesters who took to the roof of the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney had already had their refugee claims rejected.
Mr Bowen said the Australian Federal Police would soon re-enter the centre after detainees rioted overnight and burned down a number of buildings.
The Villawood incident will be investigated as part of an existing independent review into violent protests that occurred at the Christmas Island immigration detention centre in March.
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Mr Bowen said detainees involved in protests at Villawood risked having their claims denied if they hadn't already been rejected.
"I will be applying the character test to those who may have been involved in this incident and I will be applying it
vigorously," he told reporters in Newcastle.
Protests at the centre were triggered after two men climbed onto the roof early on Wednesday.
They were soon joined by 11 others and by midnight up to 100 people were involved, vandalising and setting fire to buildings.
Protesters torched an oxygen cylinder leading to an explosion shortly after 2am (AEST) on Thursday.
Nine demountable buildings - medical centre, kitchen, dining room, laundry and a computer room - have been gutted by fire and the centre appeared a charred and mangled mess in the morning light.
