Report on failures at Oakington detention centre
A report released by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Anne Owers, into Oakington detention centre found that half the detainees do not feel safe, that the use of force has increased and that staff are inadequately trained. Staff were unaware that one detainee had been there for two years. The accommodation, in particular the detainee departure unit, were in an unacceptable condition, and the detainees lacked adequate welfare support.
Donna Covey, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, called the report’s findings “depressing and disturbing”, especially in the light of the Refugee Council no longer having a presence at the centre.
“We have grave concerns about what is happening to people now that we are not there to provide that independent support.”
HM Inspectorate of Prisons press release: Loss of direction and purpose leading to deterioration
Full Refugee Council press release
BBC News: Immigration centre ‘is unsafe’
The Guardian: Fear and use of force on rise at migrant centre
The Telegraph: Chinese asylum seeker held for two years despite wanting to go home
Home Office will not appeal Zimbabwe judgement
The Home Office will not be appealing the Asylum and Immigration tribunal decision on a recent country guidance case on Zimbabwe, which found that anyone who is unable to demonstrate support for or loyalty to Zanu-PF or the regime is at risk on return to Zimbabwe. Decisions will still be made on a case-to-case basis.
Immigration Advisory Service press release
Refugee Council briefing on Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwean: Victory at last for Zimbabwean asylum seekers
High Court ruling on letting asylum seekers work
A test case could see more people seeking asylum allowed to work after a judge ruled that the Home Office needed to review its blanket policy of refusing permission to work. The claimant in the case was an Eritrean man who had been waiting for a decision on his asylum application for seven years.
Mr Justice Blake ruled that a blanket ban was 'unlawfully over-broad and unjustifiably detrimental to claimants who have had to wait as long as this claimant has'.
The Observer: Ruling frees asylum seekers to work
Find out about the Refugee Council’s Let Them Work campaign
Campaign for free English lessons for asylum seekers launched
The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) has launched the A Right to a Voice campaign to persuade the UK government to reinstate free English lessons for people seeking asylum. The campaign will build on existing voluntary support to help people learn English.
Alan Tuckett, Chief Executive of NIACE, said: “Newly arrived asylum seekers who begin to learn the language from day one are more likely to learn quickly and efficiently and therefore be able to work and contribute to the economy when permitted to do so.”
NIACE press release
The Guardian: Volunteers to teach asylum seekers English
Survey reveals hundreds of children go missing from care, many seeking asylum
A survey of 172 local authorities in England and Wales found as many as 389 young people who had gone missing from care homes. Six councils said that they did not keep track of the data, meaning the total figure could be higher.
More than a quarter of the missing children are unaccompanied asylum seeking children, sparking fears that they have been targeted by traffickers after arriving in the UK.
The Independent: The hundreds of children missing from care homes
BBC News: ‘Hundreds’ go missing from care
Centre for Social Justice recommends letting people seeking asylum work
A report by the think-tank Centre for Social Justice, founded by former Conservative leader Iain Duncan-Smith, recommends that refused asylum seekers should continue to receive housing and financial support for up to six months before they are removed. The report also says that people who are refused permission to stay in the UK but are also unable to be returned should be given a temporary licence to work.
Mr Duncan-Smith said, “The policy of making asylum seekers destitute is mean and nasty and has not worked.”
Centre for Social Justice press release and link to report
Refugee Council press release
Find out about the Refugee Council’s Let Them Work campaign
Daily Mail: Asylum seekers should get benefits, says leading Tory think-tank
Compensation for refugee held unlawfully
A woman who had suffered rape and torture in Cameroon and was detained by the Home Office for six months has been awarded £38,000 in damages by the High Court after a judge ruled the Home Office had failed to ensure a medical examination took place before the woman was detained. Rules state that those who may have been victims of torture should not be held in detention.
Judge Kenneth Parker QC said, “Detention is stressful for anyone, whatever their past experience, but torture survivors are particularly vulnerable to increased mental illness when detained.”
BBC News: Held asylum seeker given £38,000
EU proposals to change how asylum applications are dealt with
The European Commission has proposed to reduce pressure on popular entry states such as Malta or Greece by delaying transfers of people seeking asylum back to the country of entry delayed by six months. Current rules state that asylum applications must be dealt with in the first EU country a person arrives in.
The changes will also allow EU countries to suspend the transfer if they are concerned that the person will not receive adequate protection or access to correct asylum procedure in the country of entry.
The EU Justice Commissioner, Jacques Barrot, said that the EU should “provide higher standards of protection and a more level playing field” and “ensure that detention is used only in exceptional cases".
International Herald Tribune: EU says asylum seekers should have more rights
Financial Times: Brussels to ease burden of asylum seekers
BBC News: EU to share burden of asylum
BBC News: EU aims to improve asylum rules
Healthcare confusion highlighted in Times article
The Times ran a feature on the confusion many healthcare workers have over allowing refused asylum seekers access to free healthcare. In April 2008 the High Court ruled that refused asylum seekers should be entitled to free healthcare, but many have difficulty accessing it as health professionals and patients are confused over what they are entitled to.
The Times: ‘Leaving the hospital felt like walking my father to his death’
Ruling that Congo refugees will be sent home
Refused Congolese asylum seekers lost their appeal against deportation in a ruling at the Court of Appeal.
The Independent: UK expels 5,000 Congo refugees
Former Home Office minister says UK government should let Zimbabweans work
Fiona Mactaggart told BBC Radio 4 that thousands of Zimbabwean refugees are “trapped” in the UK, unable to go home or work here.
“What I’ve been asking the government to do is give them the right to work – nothing more, nothing less.”
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The Press and Journal: Zimbabwean asylum seekers ‘trapped’ in the UK
Find out about the Refugee Council’s Let Them Work campaign
Release of legacy figures sparks false reports of an amnesty
There were reports of “an amnesty by stealth” for people seeking asylum after figures on the progress of the UK Border Agency’s Case Resolution Programme were released. The Case Resolution Programme is dealing with a backlog of 450,000 outstanding asylum cases which were found in 2006.
The UK Border Agency says that it has examined 130,000 cases so far and 51,000 people have been granted leave to stay. Rather than being an amnesty, this is the result of cases being left undealt with for such a long period of time.
Telegraph: 180,000 to stay in asylum fiasco
BBC News: Asylum ‘amnesty’ claims rejected
Young refugees’ parallel identities
A BBC News feature looked at the different influences on young refugees’ political and cultural identities as part of its Exiled in the UK series.
BBC News: Exiled youth lead double lives
Report on how internal relocation affects women refugees published
Asylum Aid published a report on the impact of internal relocation (where refugees are told they can relocate to another part of their home country) on women refugees and how it can often result in further exploitation and abuse.
Download the report from the Asylum Aid website (PDF, 7013 KB)
Download the executive summary from the Asylum Aid website (PDF, 172 KB)
Plane carrying refused asylum seekers returns to Britain
A plane with 49 refused asylum seekers on board was refused permission to land in Kurdistan. One passenger reported that refugees “were harming themselves to get off the flight.”
The Guardian: ‘Shambolic’ attempt to fly Kurds home
ILPA updates
The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association released new information sheets on the draft Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Bill, children’s welfare and Zimbabwe country guidance.
Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Bill
Draft Bill – Permission
Draft Bill- Expulsion
Draft Bill – Immigration Bail
Children’s welfare
Zimbabwe country guidance
