The Guardian reported last week[1] that whistleblowers within G4S, the private company contracted to carry out forced deportations, say that staff warned management of inappropriate use of force. Yet, after the death in October 2010 of a deportee[2] who had been restrained and complained he couldn’t breathe, a top G4S manager claimed he was ‘not
Theme: Education
Detention by another name
Campaigners have issued a warning about another private company that is seeking to profit from the detention of asylum-seeking families which was meant to have ended. Earlier this week, it was revealed that plans had been submitted to Crawley Borough Council by the Home Office to convert a building in the area to detain asylum
The wages of fear
A new report on undocumented workers reveals the violent consequences of immigration clampdowns for migrant workers. ‘Illegal’ labour keeps many of us alive – providing so many vital services from the trimmed vegetables in our supermarkets to the care in residential homes. Such labour is almost by definition cheap and plentiful. The defining force being
Public spending cuts savage dispersal system
Dispersal policies are polarising city councils, with some having their contracts terminated and others abdicating their responsibilities to house asylum seekers. In January 2011 the North East Contracting Consortium for Asylum Support issued a press statement, through Newcastle City Council, announcing that it was considering mounting a legal challenge against the UK Border Agency (UKBA).
Cautioning project: cutting corners?
A pilot project to administer police cautions to undocumented and falsely documented passengers could endanger asylum rights. In December, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced a new six-month pilot cautioning scheme involving passengers at Heathrow, Stansted and East Midlands airports who commit one of a number of specified fraud and document offences to get in
Access to health care – a right worth defending
We reproduce below an article* by leading health experts on the struggles that migrants have in accessing primary healthcare. Download the article here (pdf file, 284kb). Related links Download the article here (pdf file, 284kb) Migrants’ Rights Network Project London Doctors of the World Pierce Glynn solicitors
Oury Jalloh International Independent Commission
We publish below the founding statement of the Oury Jalloh International Independent Commission, a body of human rights lawyers set up in December 2010 to monitor the re-trial of a police officer involved in the death in custody of Oury Jalloh, which is set to last several months. Berlin, 10 January 2011 1. We are
Immigration detention of children: a judge gets tough
A High Court judge has ruled that families with children can be detained for removal only in exceptional circumstances. A ground-breaking High Court judgment delivered on 11 January 2011, which means that henceforth, regardless of political decisions, detention of families with children can occur only in exceptional circumstances, when it is clear that no alternative
Prisons for rent
Below we reproduce an article by Shiar Youssef of Corporate Watch that examines recent developments in the world of privatised prisons and policing. As the coalition government announced its plans to ‘reform’ the prison and rehabilitation services, private companies were greasing their palms for fat contracts in the new market. Meanwhile, private security giant G4S
A cashless society: the other side of the coin …
As the seasonal festivities get into full swing, campaign and support groups are stepping up their lobbying against the Azure card – a cashless payment system for asylum seekers – which leaves thousands in extreme poverty. ‘Section 4 support’, as set out in Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, provides for limited