Around the Campaigns Wednesday 11th February 2009
John O | 11.02.2009 10:11 | Migration | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements | Birmingham | World
Leila, Soorena and Danoush put through the mangle
So it goes, when we last posted information the family had been taken to the airport on Thursday 6th February put on a plane taken off the plane and returned to Yarl's Wood.
On Monday night 9th February they were deported to Iran, on Tuesday 10th February they were brought back to the UK, released from immigration detention and are back in Halifax. No one at this stage is quite clear on what happened and why it happened the way it did. Once we have a factual summary of events, we will update everyone. Leila, Soorena and Danoush have had their world turned upside down and are deeply traumatized by the events. Seems pretty certain that we will be putting the family in touch with Bhatt Murphy solicitors, see next article.
Leila, Soorena and Danoush belong to Halifax
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszine103/Leila.html
So it goes, when we last posted information the family had been taken to the airport on Thursday 6th February put on a plane taken off the plane and returned to Yarl's Wood.
On Monday night 9th February they were deported to Iran, on Tuesday 10th February they were brought back to the UK, released from immigration detention and are back in Halifax. No one at this stage is quite clear on what happened and why it happened the way it did. Once we have a factual summary of events, we will update everyone. Leila, Soorena and Danoush have had their world turned upside down and are deeply traumatized by the events. Seems pretty certain that we will be putting the family in touch with Bhatt Murphy solicitors, see next article.
Leila, Soorena and Danoush belong to Halifax
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszine103/Leila.html
£150,000 compensation for being 'dawn raided' and detained
The Home Office has agreed to pay £150,000 compensation to Congolese (Republic) family - who included a one year old baby and a child of eight - left traumatised by dawn raids by immigration officers on their home. The family were asylum seekers at the time and they have now been given leave to stay in the country. Their claim related to their arrest and detention between the 6 June 2006 and 3 August 2006 (57 days) and 29 September 2006 and 2 October 2006 (3 days). On both occasions they were detained at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre. The family were represented by Bhatt Murphy solicitors.
In the face of court proceedings brought by the family, the Home Office has accepted that their arrests and subsequent detentions was unlawful as they could not have been lawfully removed from the country. Both detentions followed much criticised "dawn raids" with large numbers of uniformed officers arriving to arrest the family at their then homes in the West Midlands, as well as the controversial practice of detaining children under the Immigration Act.
These events caused both children to suffer psychiatric damage, the younger child suffering from an adjustment disorder and the older child also suffering post traumatic stress disorder. The children remained in detention despite the fact that Bedfordshire Social Services and a psychologist raised with the Home Office their concerns about the impact of the detention on them.
Full Article: Home Office Unlawfully Detain Family
http://www.bhattmurphy.com/bhatt-murphy-111.html#269
UKBA detention capacity @ 11th February 2009
At present there are a total of 2,659 bed spaces, in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) and Short Term Holding Facilities (STHFs), a planed increase of 1,726 bed spaces will bring the capacity to 4,385
A sizable number of prison bed spaces are occupied by persons off the end of criminal sentences (have reached their release date) and continue to be detained as immigration offenders, awaiting deportation or transfer to a detention centre. UKBA no longer release the numbers of those held in prison as immigration offenders.
Seven IRCs and 3 STHFs are owned/managed or managed by private corporations, three IRCs managed by the Prison Service.
Campsfield House IRC GEO Group Bed spaces: 216 male detainees
Harmondsworth IRC Kalyx Bed spaces 259 male detainees
Yarl's Wood IRC Serco Bed spaces 405 (284 single female; 121 family)
Colnbrook IRC Serco Bed spaces 383 male detainees (80 STHC male/female)
Oakington IRC G4S Bed spaces 408 male detainees
Dungavel House G4S Bed spaces 190 Mixed, male, female, families
Tinsley House G4S Bed spaces 116 males; 5 females; and 4 families
Manchester STHF G4S Bed spaces 32
Harwich STHF Abbey Security Ltd Bed spaces 12
Dover Harbour STHF Dover Harbour Board Bed spaces 20
Dover IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 316 male detainees
Haslar IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 160 male detainees
Lindholme IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 112 male detainees
Planed increase of 1,726 bed spaces in 3 new IRC's
(Editors note, data has been taken from UKBA web sites)
The Home Office has agreed to pay £150,000 compensation to Congolese (Republic) family - who included a one year old baby and a child of eight - left traumatised by dawn raids by immigration officers on their home. The family were asylum seekers at the time and they have now been given leave to stay in the country. Their claim related to their arrest and detention between the 6 June 2006 and 3 August 2006 (57 days) and 29 September 2006 and 2 October 2006 (3 days). On both occasions they were detained at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre. The family were represented by Bhatt Murphy solicitors.
In the face of court proceedings brought by the family, the Home Office has accepted that their arrests and subsequent detentions was unlawful as they could not have been lawfully removed from the country. Both detentions followed much criticised "dawn raids" with large numbers of uniformed officers arriving to arrest the family at their then homes in the West Midlands, as well as the controversial practice of detaining children under the Immigration Act.
These events caused both children to suffer psychiatric damage, the younger child suffering from an adjustment disorder and the older child also suffering post traumatic stress disorder. The children remained in detention despite the fact that Bedfordshire Social Services and a psychologist raised with the Home Office their concerns about the impact of the detention on them.
Full Article: Home Office Unlawfully Detain Family
http://www.bhattmurphy.com/bhatt-murphy-111.html#269 UKBA detention capacity @ 11th February 2009
At present there are a total of 2,659 bed spaces, in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) and Short Term Holding Facilities (STHFs), a planed increase of 1,726 bed spaces will bring the capacity to 4,385
A sizable number of prison bed spaces are occupied by persons off the end of criminal sentences (have reached their release date) and continue to be detained as immigration offenders, awaiting deportation or transfer to a detention centre. UKBA no longer release the numbers of those held in prison as immigration offenders.
Seven IRCs and 3 STHFs are owned/managed or managed by private corporations, three IRCs managed by the Prison Service.
Campsfield House IRC GEO Group Bed spaces: 216 male detainees
Harmondsworth IRC Kalyx Bed spaces 259 male detainees
Yarl's Wood IRC Serco Bed spaces 405 (284 single female; 121 family)
Colnbrook IRC Serco Bed spaces 383 male detainees (80 STHC male/female)
Oakington IRC G4S Bed spaces 408 male detainees
Dungavel House G4S Bed spaces 190 Mixed, male, female, families
Tinsley House G4S Bed spaces 116 males; 5 females; and 4 families
Manchester STHF G4S Bed spaces 32
Harwich STHF Abbey Security Ltd Bed spaces 12
Dover Harbour STHF Dover Harbour Board Bed spaces 20
Dover IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 316 male detainees
Haslar IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 160 male detainees
Lindholme IRC HM Prison Service Bed spaces 112 male detainees
Planed increase of 1,726 bed spaces in 3 new IRC's
(Editors note, data has been taken from UKBA web sites)
John O
e-mail:
JohnO@ncadc.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.ncadc.org.uk