Extinguishing the right to asylum
It was incredibly sobering to hear the Government’s announcement this week on migration. Putting aside their use of language, calling people ‘illegal migrants’, when so many of them are people seeking safety and many of them will go onto be recognised as refugees with permission to stay in the country, [...]
Response to attack on Knowsley hotel
The Detention Forum was proud to be one of 180 groups which have signed an open letter to leaders of all parties in response to the attack on Friday 10th February on a hotel in Knowsley where asylum seekers are housed. The letter calls on party leaders to ‘take a clear [...]
Valentine’s Day Campaign Action
Our friends at Women for Refugee Women and the End Detention group, the lived experience group of women with experience of immigration detention, are taking action this Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day is a day of love, compassion and care. Yet for women in detention, it’s another painful reminder that they [...]
Amendment to short-term holding facility rules
Our friends at the Refugee Council recently highlighted that the government has quietly changed the rules on detention following the Manston crisis a month or so ago - extending lawful detention for people seeking refugee protection to 96 hours. The previous short-term holding facility rules 2018 stated that a "holding room” [...]
Damning report on Hassockfield Detention Centre
This month we saw the publication of a damning report by His Majesty's Inspector of Prisons following an unannounced visit he had made to Hassockfield detention centre (now called the Derwentside IRC) back in August. The best response we can make is quote Alison Stancliffe from our friends at No to [...]
Rise in people detained -but there is an alternative!
It was sobering to see the reports in the press recently highlighting the fact that the number of people detained in immigration detention facilities increased sharply in the last year. The amount increased to 2,987 in the year ending September 2022 – a rise of 231%, according to recently released [...]
New report on GPS tagging
BID, Medical Justice and Public Law Project have just published research – Every move you make: the human impact of GPS tagging in immigration bail – documenting the harm caused by Electronic Monitoring in the immigration system. The report is based on 19 interviews with people who were made to [...]
New report from the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group
Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWG) working in partnership with the Strategic Public Law Clinic (SPLC) have released a new report The Right to Community Equivalent Healthcare in Immigration Removal Centres: A Public Law Analysis of Systemic Issues in the Inspection Regime. Anyone who is detained by the state is entitled [...]