Mr MacDonald, who was based at Cameron Barracks while serving as a lieutenant in the Queen’s Own Highlanders, told BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show: “So why is it a bad idea? Well, 300 young men arriving there, not able to speak English, will get very bored.
“What are they going to do? It gets dark before 4pm where we live. It’s been known to rain in the Highlands, and I think they’ll congregate in the town centre.
“There’s major issues with the Army. There’s 150 of the family homes from 3 Scots, which was the Black Watch, based at Cameron Barracks, and they’re about to go on deployment. And so there’s considerable upset amongst the families there.”
He told The Telegraph that most of the Armed Forces’ homes near the barracks housed the families of service personnel in 3 Scots, third battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, which is based at nearby Fort George.
Mr Ewing, an independent MSP after he quit the SNP, said he had “picked up exactly the same message” from the Armed Forces community.
SNP ‘should oppose plan’
He said they had “genuine concerns for the safety of, particularly, their wives and daughters” while they were serving in foreign countries risking their lives for their country.
The nationalist stalwart also urged the SNP government to “get off the fence” and oppose the plan, arguing this could force the Home Office to drop the scheme.
Although SNP ministers have accused the Government of failing to properly engage with them over the plans, they have refused to condemn the proposal outright.
They have repeatedly called for a more liberal approach to asylum and immigration and insisted that Scotland welcomed refugees and asylum seekers.
The MoD and the Scottish Government were approached for comment.
