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#HungerforFreedom – opening a new chapter in the history of challenging immigration detention?

#HungerforFreedom – opening a new chapter in the history of challenging immigration detention?

Today, we have heard that the hunger strike that started in Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedford a month ago ended. But the real news is that the strike itself will be continuing and that #HungerforFreedom has accelerated, intensified and expanded the ongoing anti-detention movement that has been bubbling up for years. 

We all need to acknowledge the personal cost that these women have borne during the strike and incarceration they will continue to face for an unknown length of time. We need to think about how the UK’s detention system – and the migration policy that informs this practice of mass, indefinite, routine incarceration of “unwanted” migrants – drove them to this measure and how the whole system must change. 

For me, this episode, yet again, raised the issue of voice (among many others). It was infuriating, but not surprising, to witness the women’s struggle to have their demands properly heard and understood by parliamentarians, public commentators and some in the media.

Here is me ranting, again, about this:

And here’s Baroness Williams of Trafford suggesting that the women may not be eating for “dietary or religious reasons”. I would have liked to hear the tone with which Noble Lords said “Oh!” in chorus. (You can read the full debate here.):

Those in power tend to think that by improving detention conditions, detention can be made ok. No one is saying that conditions within detention centres are perfect – there is always room for improvement as any of the inspection reports by Prisons Inspectors testify. But the narratives and headlines that reduce demands for a radical systemic change down to complaints about conditions are demeaning. It is as if in some people’s view, migrants are incapable of thinking beyond their immediate reality or their personal circumstances, that we are not intellectually equipped to analyse the policy context that degrades us and that we have no power to organise ourselves, work towards and build a better world for everyone. That sort of outdated view must be abandoned immediately.

There are certain things about #HungerforFreedom that advanced the anti-detention movement: it joined the dots to create a powerful story of change, that, I hope, is going to continue.

1) People outside the detention centre, some already involved in the movement against detention and some new people, joined forces in a timely, supportive and organised manner. They also helped to amplify what the strikers are demanding: this sometimes included providing basic education to people who are new to the issue, correcting some misconceptions about who is affected by immigration detention and showing visibly to the world that they stand with them.

2) The strike triggered and responded to a series of interventions by politicians and parliamentary committees. There was, of course, a high profile visit to the centre by the Shadow Home Secretary, Diane Abbott, where she met with the hunger strikers on 23 February 2018. 

3) This prompted Diane Abbott to clarify the strikers’ demands and ask an Urgent Question in the House of Commons on 6 March. A number of MPs from different parties, who have long been advocating for change, spoke in support of detention reform and sought accountability from the Immigration Minister. 

4) When no satisfactory answer came from the Immigration Minister, the Home Affairs Select Committee then upped their gear, extending the scope of the ongoing Brook House inquiry to include examining the operations of Morton Hall, Yarls Wood detention centres, and indeed for the whole of the detention estate. This is a logical step: only last week, a scathing inspection report on Harmondsworth detention centre was published.

One of the Committee’s members, Stuart McDonald MP, also visited the strikers who had asked to meet with the Chair of the Committee before the oral evidence session on 20 March 2018 took place. 

In addition, the Committee has now conceded that they will need to involve in the inquiry process people who are currently in detention and people who have been released from detention.

When the first oral evidence session on Brook House did not involve a single person with lived experience of detention and focused primarily on the conduct of G4S and how much profit they might have been making from their operations in Brook House, Freed Voices made a searing submission to Committee, stating: 

The Committee’s belated realisation that the problems of immigration detention are not confined to specific centres is welcome. Also their acceptance that migrants must be part of the debate is an important step. 

This is not the end of the story though. 

We need to ensure that the inquiry’s focus goes beyond the operation within the centres to the heart of the matter: why does the UK continue to operate this mass, routine, indefinite administrative detention of migrants? Why has the Home Office not significantly reformed and reduced the UK’s use of detention, as promised?

At the same time, we should not stop what we are doing, just because the Home Affairs Select Committee decided to widen its scope of inquiry.  Sometimes inquiries, reports and investigations give us a false sense that significant change will happen – but they are only tools that can help us argue our case better. How will we ensure that any recommendations for detention reform will be implemented?

In the meantime, people affected by immigration detention and communities are standing up, demanding change, continuing #HungerforFreedom. I was asked to share the notice about this Saturday’s demonstration – which is attached below.

As for politicians, who also want to see change happen – please step up, speak to other politicians in your party and across party lines and work with us for radical detention reform. And people, if you are reading this, make sure your MP knows that you want them speak up on this issue. 

Eiri Ohtani @Eiri Ohtani

Project Director, The Detention Forum

Yarl’s Wood demonstration – Saturday, 24th of March

On 21st February 2018, 120 people detained at Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire started a protest which has become known as #HungerForFreedom. Since then, strikers have been taking part in a variety of protest actions including refusing food, refusing to work, and refusing to use services inside detention. They have issued a list of demands against the detention system and conditions (read the demands here). Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott has been to Yarl’s Wood to meet with the strikers, as have the Home Affairs Select Committee.

There have been a series of vigils in support of the strikers in London, across the UK, and internationally. This Wednesday 21st March is national Day of Action, where events are taking place in various cities across the UK.

On Saturday, 24th of March, an alliance of groups will be demonstrating outside Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre in Bedfordshire. Now is a crucial time to show solidarity with detainees, which is why we are encouraging people to attend the event on the 24th.

Two coaches have been organised to leave from Central London, and will be leaving from the London Bridge area at 9.45am – further details will be announced closer to the date, and everyone who has signed up for a ticket will be receiving a follow up email with all necessary information, including a contact phone number for on the day logistics. If you have any questions, please contact sistersuncut@gmail.com.

Tickets range from £5.18 – £10.26 depending on your ability to pay. There are free tickets for those unable to pay.

Coach booking information can be found here: https://sistersuncut.eventsmart.com/shutdownyw/sisters-shut-yarls-wood/

Facebook event info can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/185237595327196/

 
 
 
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Collateral – A BBC drama shining a light on the secret world of indefinite immigration detention

Collateral – A BBC drama shining a light on the secret world of indefinite immigration detention

15 March 2018

Immigration detention dramatised on TV? Sylvia Gauthereau, one of the Detention Forum volunteers, reviews a BBC drama, Collateral.

Immigration detention featured quite centrally on the four-part series Collateral. Produced and shown by the BBC, it was broadcast on BBC2 last month. Media attention has grown quite significantly lately over this issue that remains largely hidden from the public view so, is this a sign that time is changing? 

The series written by David Hare followed the investigation of a detective inspector into the apparent random murder of a pizza delivery man. As the plot developed, the police stumbled upon the world of people smuggling. After the murder, the victim’s two sisters, Mona and Fatima, who came to the UK with him, are sent to an immigration removal centre whilst enquiries are made over their identity and country of origin.

As the sisters approach the fictive centre of Harlsfleet, Fatima looks at the barbed wires and heavy gate, wondering where they are. “Are we in prison?” she asks upon arrival. “How long are we in there for?”. To which the “custody officer” exclaims: “Ah well if we knew that! No one is this place knows when they are getting their ticket.” Ticket? Airline ticket, to send you home.

It was interesting to see that writers touched upon the common complaints around immigration detention such as the isolated location, the complexity of a visit which involved a tedious procedure to follow. “But I thought we were the police!” cries one of officers on the case. To which the detective leading the investigation replies “What are they afraid of? Do they think I work for Panorama and wear a camera under my f*****g hat?”. There were also some good observations of the common responses to those complaints. For instance, after a visit to the centre, the detective laments on how depressing the place was. Her colleague replies: “What’s depressing about it? It’s clean, it’s warm, it’s decently run”.

There were further mentions over the indefinite element of immigration detention. In an exchange with another woman held at the centre, as she is still trying to understand what this place is, Fatima learns that she’s been in this ‘removal’ centre for two years. So much for removal. The woman then explains how she has lived in the country since she was three for 30 years until it was decided her papers were not valid. Fatima is distraught and puzzled, how can this be? Further comments included “Prison is not that bad as in prison you know when you are getting out”.

This is a fictional drama of course but it has a real life feel to it and in a post-Brexit Britain, it made socio-politically relevant points. The current approach toward refugees and migrants is casting a large shadow over the functioning of everything. There is mistrust between agencies and sometimes between officers who all come to the job with various degrees of prejudice.  The writer was able to capture this exceptionally well, delivered by a talented cast who gave life to the highly sensitive narrative that is immigration detention. 

You can catch up with the four full episodes on BBC i-Player as well as on Netflix.

Sylvia tweets @CricklewoodMum

 

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Prison Inspectors yet again decry the lack of a time limit on immigration detention – Harmondsworth

13 March 2018

Prison Inspectors yet again decry the lack of a time limit on immigration detention – Harmondsworth

Large numbers of migrant men detained indefinitely in prison-like conditions at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre were found to have mental health needs and were considered vulnerable by the Home Office, according to an inspection report published today. Prison Inspectors also criticised, for the third consecutive inspection on Harmondsworth, deteriorating standards of safety and respect for those held inside Europe’s largest detention centre, near Heathrow Airport.   

Harmondworth IRC, which detains up 676 migrants, is built to Category B standards and managed by Mitie Care and Custody under the Home Office contract. It is one of the eight long-term residential immigration detention centres in the UK. The UK is the only country in Europe which detains migrants indefinitely without a time limit and practices mass, routine, detention of migrants for administrative reasons. In 2017, a total of 27,331 people entered detention. 53% of people leaving detention were released back into the community.

According to the inspection report, two-thirds of people detained at Harmondsworth felt unsafe. A major reason for this was uncertainty over their immigration cases. Insufficient staffing levels, incarceration in a prison-like environment, stress, frustration and the anger of others detained, drug use at the centre and a recent suicide at the centre were also cited as reasons for feeling unsafe.  

There was routine use of handcuffs and strip-search for those taken to the isolation unit which was inappropriate. Those who had appointments outside the centre were also handcuffed, which was described as ‘excessive’ by Prison Inspectors. Mice infestation, endemic bed bugs and dirty and poorly ventilated living areas were also noted.

Prison Inspectors found safeguarding procedures which are supposed to protect the most vulnerable to be wanting in a number of ways. Even with evidence of torture, vulnerable people’s detention was maintained and continued. People’s mental health needs, including post traumatic stress, were not addressed adequately. Potential trafficking victims were not referred to an appropriate channel and unable to receive necessary assistance, as many staff members were unfamiliar with the referral mechanism.  

During the previous six months to the inspection, 55 incidents of self-harm were recorded and 218 men were identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm at Harmondsworth. In some cases, support was not provided promptly enough: the Inspection team describes an occasion where they requested a very distressed detained person to be placed on suicide-watch but no support was provided until an hour later when the person was already making a noose.

Repeating again their call for a time limit on the length of detention following their previous Harmondsworth inspection report, Prison Inspectors said they had found it ‘unacceptable’ that 23 men had been detained for over a year at the time of their inspection and one had been detained for four and a half years. It was also revealed that even when the Home Office’s own case progression panel issued recommendations for release, these were frequently refused by other Home Office staff. At the time of inspection, sixty-one per cent of the population at Harmondsworth had been detained for longer than one month.

Eiri Ohtani, Project Director of the Detention Forum said:

‘This is not the first time that Prison Inspectors have slammed the UK government’s policy of indefinite detention without a time limit and it is very unlikely to be the last. They recommended a strict time limit on detention after their inspection at Yarl’s Wood last year, yet there is no sign that the government is prepared to introduce the necessary change.  

That the Inspectors found extremely high levels of vulnerability of detained men, including victims of torture, incarcerated at Harmondworth should ring alarm bells to those responsible for the UK’s detention policy. 2017 was the deadliest year in the history of immigration detention with so many deaths: we fear nothing has been done to address this mounting crisis of harm in immigration detention.

While the outcome of Stephen Shaw’s second review into immigration detention remains unknown, there is abundance of evidence that reform is not taking place and detention remains as problematic as ever. We urge the Home Office to promptly and proactively set out its plan to significantly reduce the immigration detention now, starting with a 28 day time limit, ending locking up of vulnerable people and implementation of a wider range of community-based alternatives to detention.’

End.

You can read the Harmondsworth inspection report here. HMIP’s news release about the report is here.