A group of asylum seekers at Sydney’s Villawood detention centre has staged a hunger strike in response to the Federal Government’s changes to immigration policy.

The Refugee Action Coalition says a group of about 35 Iraqis spent Sunday night on a basketball court inside the facility and are refusing food.

Spokesperson Ian Rintoul says management at the detention centre met the group this afternoon.

He says they are worried a freeze on processing claims from Sri Lankan and Afghan asylum seekers could be extended to Iraqis.

“They don’t know what’s going to happen to them. They haven’t seen a lawyer since they moved to Villawood and they think they could easily decide tomorrow that, in their case, that the Iraqis won’t be processed and all their options would be finished,” he said.

“So people are very, very, very worried.”

Meanwhile, a group of 52 people have been transferred from the Christmas Island detention centre to the mainland.

The Immigration Department says 46 of those have had their refugee claims approved with the remaining six to be processed in Melbourne and Perth.

There are now just over 2,100 people in the island’s detention centre – which is beyond its official capacity.

The Government says six boats carrying 236 people have been intercepted in recent days but are still to arrive at the island.