Welcome to this year’s Unlocking Detention!
In this, our sixth year, many of you will already be familiar with Unlocking Detention. But by way of introduction for newcomers, Unlocking Detention is a ‘virtual tour’ of the UK’s vast immigration detention estate. Using Twitter, Facebook and a website to ‘unlock’ the gates of immigration detention centres, it [...]
In Three Words
Can you describe immigration detention in three words? As part of Unlocking Detention 2019, #Unlocked19, we are asking people to take part in ‘In Three Words’ action to unlock the gates of immigration detention centres. This is an opportunity to describe, in your own words, your personal experience of immigration detention or [...]
‘In Three Words’ – Unlocking Detention
Can you describe immigration detention in three words? As part of this year's Unlocking Detention (from 11 November to 19 December 2019), we are asking people to take part in ‘In Three Words’ action to unlock the gates of immigration detention centres. This is an opportunity to describe, in your [...]
Digging beneath the detention statistics, 2019: what has changed?
Digging beneath the detention statistics, 2019: what has changed? This blog was written by one of our member organisations, AVID, which supports volunteer visitors to people held in immigration detention, and appeared originally on their website. Official statistics released today show that yet again, the number of people in detention is continuing to fall. [...]
Two announcements from the Home Office, days before Caroline Nokes’ departure
Two announcements from the Home Office, days before Caroline Nokes’ departure Statement: Immigration Detention Reform On 23 July 2019, the outgoing Immigration Minister, Caroline Nokes, issued a statement entitled “Immigration Detention Reform”, announcing that there has been a 40% reduction in the size of the detention estate since 2015. She noted a [...]
Beyond outrage, and being part of the change
One of the things we value most is an ongoing discussion with some of the Detention Forum members and volunteers about the complex nature and process of creating a social change. Particularly we often talk about the vital importance of things that are invisible and slow to materialise but are vital [...]
A joint letter to the new Home Secretary – “the system need to change now”
Together with many colleagues working for migration justice, the Detention Forum has sent this joint letter to the new Home Secretary. We urgently need a fair and humane immigration system, and the Home Secretary has a lot of work to get on with. Please share it widely, using the hashtags #FamiliesTogether [...]
Detention Forum volunteers will be taking a break in August and September
29 July 2019 Many of our social media volunteers will be taking a break from their regular tweeting duty over summer, to prepare for this year’s Unlocking Detention, which starts in November. Unlocking Detention shines a spotlight on the hidden world of immigration detention. This ‘virtual tour’ of the immigration [...]