More than half of migrants held in British detention centres were either suicidal, seriously ill or victims of torture, according to Guardian investigation. An unprecedented snapshot of migrants proved it.
The survey of detainees held in seven deportation centres in England showed nearly 56% of 200 detainees were defined as an “adult at risk“. They are only supposed to be detained in extreme cases, suggesting that Home Office guidelines on detention have been breached. Among them nearly half the detainees had not committed a crime, but the average detainee in the sample had been imprisoned for four months.
11 law firms and charities who were associated with the survey conduction – also found that a third had dependent children in the UK, and 84% had not been told when they would be deported – implying open-ended incarceration.
Many of the detainees had lived in the UK for at least for five years and some had been in the country for more than 20 years.
Stephen Shaw, the former prisons and probation ombudsman, who has conducted two comprehensive reviews for the government into immigration detention, said: “Although the overall use of detention has fallen by one third in the last three years, far too many people are still being detained for long periods when there is no realistic prospect of their removal from the UK.”
The shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, said: “This snapshot is truly shocking, but not entirely surprising.”
“There have been repeated assurances that vulnerable people, victims of trafficking and children would not been detained. But this investigation shows that those assurances are worthless. People are even being detained even though there is no instruction for their removal. This is a scandalously inhumane and unjustifiable system.”
> Shiuly Rina
Sick, Tortured Immigrants Imprisoned for Months in Britain
