Removal from UK to Kenya puts B and J at risk of being returned to danger in Somalia

B and J fear imminent refoulement (removal to a dangerous place instead of being granted safety) to Somalia.

B, born 1994 and J, born 1989 have been detained at Nairobi airport since Monday 16^th May 2011. They were removed there by the UK Borders Agency having been refused asylum after two appeals and a fresh claim. They are Somali Bravanese and have produced documentary, DNA and expert evidence from an expert, to prove it. The UKBA maintain they are Kenyan nationals, largely it seems because they came to the UK on false Kenyan passports in 2009. They were fleeing from a Kenyan refugee camp with their sister S and her daughter U. S and U are still in London but also fear removal. Continue reading “Removal from UK to Kenya puts B and J at risk of being returned to danger in Somalia”

May 19, 2011

Continued detention was unlawful – Administrative Court decision

R (on the application of Mjemer) v SSHD QBD (Admin Court) 12 May 2011 (unreported)
Although an immigration detainee posed a moderate to high risk of absconding and a moderate risk of re-offending if released from detention before being deported, when the fact that he had been detained for over two years and four months, the likelihood that he would not be deported within a reasonable time-frame, and the effect on him of detention was taken into account, his continued detention was unlawful.

May 19, 2011

Fast Track to Despair

Detention Action (formerly London Detainee Support Group) advocates for policy change on immigration detention in the UK and provides support and advice to people detained under immigration powers in the London area. Through our daily contact with asylum-seekers and other migrants in detention, we ensure that their voices are heard and their experiences contribute to debate on immigration detention. Continue reading

May 19, 2011

Border Agency appeals ban on dawn raids of unaccompanied children

Border Agency appeals ban on dawn raids

The government is challenging a court-imposed ban on controversial “dawn raid” removals of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children that are carried out without notice, as the number of deportations has plummeted, CYP Now has learned.

The divisive practice has been used in the past to deport children to European Union countries under the so-called Dublin Regulation, whereby the UK can remove asylum seekers to their first entry point into Europe, provided it is an EU member. Continue reading “Border Agency appeals ban on dawn raids of unaccompanied children”

May 12, 2011

OutCry! funding ends and other news roundup

The OutCry! partnership between The Children’s Society and Bail for Immigration Detainees, that made such a vital contribution to campaigning for an end to the immigration detention of children, has come to a close. The funding for the partnership came to an end last month.

The Children’s Society and Bail for Immigration Detainees, will continue to campaign, alongside a number of other charities, for the government’s commitment to end child detention to be fulfilled. The safeguarding and welfare of children must be placed at the heart of the asylum and immigration system.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all our supporters for your help in achieving groundbreaking changes to the system. It would not have been possible without you. Continue reading “OutCry! funding ends and other news roundup”

May 11, 2011

Immigration rule changes fail to protect vulnerable women

Dear Home Secretary.

We are writing to express our serious concerns about recent changes to the Immigration Rules, which introduced a requirement that applicants for settlement under paragraph 289A (the domestic violence rule) be free of unspent convictions. The changes, laid before parliament on 31 March 2011 in the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules HC908, took effect on 6 April 2011. We are deeply

concerned that this requirement has directly undermined the Government’s commitments to eliminate violence against women, set out in the Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls, and will force women to remain in abusive relationships. Continue reading “Immigration rule changes fail to protect vulnerable women”