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Let’s put ‘an end to indefinite detention of asylum seekers and migrants’ – Sanctuary Summit

The Detention Forum, together with many of our members, will be attending the Sanctuary Summit on 15 November 2014.

We are very pleased to know that one of the 8 key principles of the summint is ‘an end to the indefinite detention of asylum seekers and migrants’.

We look forward to working with others to make this change happen. We have been invited to run one of their workshops, on detention.  We will be making the handouts we used in our workshop available on this page.

indefinite detention briefing for workshop 1114

summit handout detention

MP template letter

detention quiz for summit

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Oxford academics call for Campsfield detention centre expansion plan to be scrapped

Oxford dons take Mr Cameron to task over immigration detention at nearby Campsfield House Immigration Detention Centre.
On Saturday 15th November 2014, the distinguished barrister and Principal of Mansfield College, Baroness Helena Kennedy, and Danny Dorling, Professor of Geography and other signatories will launch the letter to Prime Minister David Cameron on its way to Number 10 Downing Street, joining the mounting opposition against the UK’s detention expansion plan.  The letter, signed by 9 heads of college and 61 other senior academics of Oxford University, calls for the immediate release of all Campsfield detainees and the withdrawal of plans to expand the immigration detention centre.
Over the last 12 months,UK immigration detention capacity has increased by 25%. Over 4,000 detention bed spaces are now available in eleven prison-like Immigration Removal Centres scattered across the country. An extra 800 detention bed spaces have already been created in 2014, and the government has just announced a plan to double the size of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Center in Oxfordshire.
Jo Hynes, Oxford University Amnesty International President said, “We’ve had an incredible response from both academic staff and students whilst coordinating this letter, with Oxford University Student Union also unanimously passing a motion to call for the closure of Campsfield House.” 
Local groups have been collectively opposing the Campsfield expansion plan for some time and the Detention Forum has recently calling for a moratorium on the detention expansion and published a briefing paper.
 
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Call for a moratorium on the detention expansion – Stop Campsfield Expansion

10 November 2014

As the Home Office plans to more than double the capacity of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre in Oxfordshire, the Detention Forum is calling for a moratorium on the detention expansion. 

We call on others to contact their MPs to put a stop to this ill-advised move by the Home Office.  

(You will find our briefing paper and a sample letter to MP below.) 

Over the last 12 months,UK immigration detention capacity has increased by 25%. Over 4,000 detention bed spaces are now available in eleven prison-like Immigration Removal Centres scattered across the country[1]. An extra 800 detention bed spaces have already been created in 2014, and the government has just announced a plan to double the size of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Center in Oxfordshire.

This expansion of the detention estate is taking place away from public and political scrutiny. Detention is harmful and expensive. The UK’s practice of detention, and the lack of a time limit, has been repeatedly criticised by various national and international observers. There is an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into the use of immigration detention, which is yet to report its recommendations. 

It is ill-advised for Immigration Minister to proceed with plans to expand Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre before the findings of the detention inquiry are announced next year.  Locally, there is already strong cross-party opposition to the expansion plan, led by Nicola Blackwood, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon[2].  One of the Detention Forum members, Campaign to Close Campsfield, is also working with other local groups to create strong local opposition and challenging the planning application.  

We call for a moratorium on the detention expansion, urge the Immigration Minister to withdraw the Campsfield House planning application and ask the detention inquiry panel members and others to work towards providing parliamentary scrutiny of the Government’s detention expansion plan.  The current system needs a radical reform, not expansion.   

[1] http://www.aviddetention.org.uk/images/uk%20detention%20september%202014.pdf

[2] http://closecampsfield.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/press-release-campsfield-expansion-wrong-abusive-and-unnecessary-who-benefits%e2%80%8f/

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Detention Forum briefing paper Nov 2014 detention expansion

sample letter to MPs Oct 2014 detention expansion