It’s time to take action to end indefinite immigration detention in the UK. And the Immigration Bill that is going through Parliament right now presents an opportunity to secure a 28-day time limit on detention for everyone.

Join this simple social media action to show the Home Secretary and parliamentarians that we want to stop people being locked up indefinitely in this country. The action starts on 25 February and finishes on 7 March.

This message is from Glasgow!

WHY?

Indefinite detention is unfair, inefficient and expensive. The UK is the only country in Europe that continues to lock up nearly 28,000 people a year in immigration detention without a release date and without any authorisation by a judge. Most people who get detained are eventually released. This is a shameful stain on our human rights record.

We are calling for a 28-day time limit for everyone in immigration detention to be legislated for in the current Immigration Bill. The case for a 28-day time limit has been repeatedly made by cross-party parliamentarians, NGOs, legal professionals and medical bodies alike. The Joint Committee on Human Rights supported this position again earlier this month.

Indefinite detention devastates people’s mental health and evidence shows that these conditions can deteriorate drastically after just one month in detention. Self-harm and suicide attempts are tragically common. The psychological distress caused also exacerbates the trauma experienced by many vulnerable people in detention, including survivors of trafficking, gender-based violence and torture. Now is the time to end this brutal and inhumane system.

WHAT DO WE WANT?

27 organisations – including Detention Action, Liberty, Right to Remain and Women for Refugee Women – have backed an amendment to the Immigration Bill that will secure a 28-day time limit for everyone locked up in immigration detention in the UK. And if passed by parliamentarians, this will bring the cruel system of indefinite detention to an end – once and for all.

TAKE ACTION NOW – IT’S TIME 4 A TIME LIMIT!

Let’s show parliamentarians that there is a lot of support for this amendment out there, and finally bring a 28-day time limit for all into law, by taking these simple steps:

  1. Take a photo of yourself holding a sign that says:
  • End Indefinite Detention For Everyone
  • Your location, for example Manchester, Coventry and so on. If possible, try to also show where you are by including a landmark in the background of your photo.
  • You can handwrite this message or download and print the sign we prepared (just add your location).

In front of Glasgow University.

  1. Publish this photo on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Include the hashtag #EndIndefiniteDetention, your location and tag the Home Secretary, @sajidjavid, and/or your MP. You can find your MP and his or her Twitter handle by entering your postcode at the website https://tweetyourmp.com

You can use these example posts or write your own:

  • Indefinite detention is unfair, inefficient and expensive. @sajidjavid @[YOUR MP] it’s time to end this brutal and inhumane system. #EndIndefiniteDetention #[YourLocation]
  • The UK is the only country in Europe to lock people up in immigration detention indefinitely. @sajidjavid @ [YOUR MP] it’s time to #EndIndefiniteDetention. #[YourLocation]
  • Dear @sajidjavid @ [YOUR MP]. Indefinite detention is a stain on our human rights record. We are calling for a 28-day time limit for everyone in immigration detention. #EndIndefiniteDetention now. #[YourLocation]
  • Indefinite detention devastates people’s mental health and worsens existing trauma. @sajidjavid @ [YOUR MP] please listen to our calls for a 28-day time limit on immigration detention to #EndIndefiniteDetention altogether. #[YourLocation]

The hashtag, #EndIndefiniteDetention is important: it allows us to find out from which area of the UK there is support for a time limit on immigration detention. It also allows you to find others who are taking this action and retweet and share their photos. You can also use the hashtag #Time4aTimeLimit in your posts.

  1. We will create a map of these posts to show that across the country people want to end indefinite detention. Help us spread the word by asking your friends and family to join in.

There are other ways you can get involved. There is a petition to the Home Secretary organised by Liberty you might be interested in signing. Also you can write to your MPs via Detention Action’s campaign page and urge them to end indefinite detention.

UPDATE: We have received tweets and photos from all across the UK, which you can see below. Thanks to everyone who contributed.