SUPPORT THIS DEMONSTRATION IN SOLIDARITY WITH ASYLUM SEEKERS AND IMMIGRANTS
• To protest against mass deportations to northern Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and elsewhere
• To campaign against all immigration controls. Britain is a wealthy country and has built that wealth by robbing the poor of the world. It then turns on those who come from poor countries to seek asylum or a better life.
• To let the public know what Communications House is. The building looks anonymous but immigration reporting centres are places of fear for asylum seekers, who have to report to them monthly, weekly or even several times a week. Anyone who is detained will when reporting will be sent to a detention centre (see below). Immigration Reporting Centres themselves are sufficiently prison-like to qualify for inspection by the Chief Inspector of Prisons (see  http://inspectorates.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspect_reports/STHF-reports/2007-Communications_House_f1.pdf)

Communications House
We applied under the Freedom Of Information Act to the UK Border Agency for some information about Communications House.
They said that they couldn’t tell us how may people reported in the past year or how many currently who report monthly, weekly and daily, as they don’t hold this information and it would be too expensive to work it out.

They did, however, say that ‘during Dec 2008 approx there were 9,541 reporting events (Figure of 9,541 gives the total no of times people reported during Dec 08 ( i.e. one person might have reported 4/6 times a month which means the actual figure may be 1/4 of 9541 or even less)’. From which we can assume that in a year there will be 114,492 ‘reporting events’ and in a week 2,202.

They did tell us that of those currently reporting there are approximately 10 people subject to electronic monitoring and they told us that there are approximately 180 staff employed at Communications House.

We asked for the number of people who, on reporting, have been detained in the Short Term Holding Facility. They said they don’t hold this information.

We asked how many of those detained are subsequently moved on to Immigration Removal Centres. They said they didn’t have any ‘specific information’ but that ‘mostly all those who are detained in the holding area are later on moved to detention centres’.


Monthly demonstration called by Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!
For more information phone 020 7837 1688