2/2 They also face serious barriers to accessing entitled care and support as well as legal advice. Many report a sharp decline in their mental health, with some experiencing suicidal ideation. This deal must be halted to prevent further harm to adults and children seeking asylum.
1/2 Under the UK–France deal, the Home Office has held 76 age-disputed children in detention - a sharp rise from 28, our last documented figure in February. Children are often held in small cells alongside unrelated adults and at risk of the use of force. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Stand in solidarity with migrants by donating to Detention Action today. We offer advice and advocacy for people in detention, always for free. Just £19 could pay for a volunteer to visit a person in detention. Visit detentionaction.org.uk/donate to find out more and give today.
3/3 b. When survivors do disclose later, their accounts are often criticised as ‘late’, ‘last minute’, and treated as less credible. This reflects an inadequate understanding of trauma.
2/3 Drawing on frontline evidence within the Taskforce, it exposes two critical issues: a. Survivors of trafficking are often not identified as such before or upon entering detention. Many face barriers to disclosing their experiences early in the process.
1/3 This month, Detention Action and the Detention Taskforce on Survivors of Trafficking in Immigration Detention published a new briefing titled “Barriers to Disclosure: A Survivor of Trafficking’s Journey Through the Immigration Process”: detentionaction.org.uk/2026/03/09/b...
Job Alert!
Are you someone who is committed to
1) fighting unjust detention and removal policies?
2) amplifying migrants' voices?
3) building a compassionate migration system?
If yes, you could be our next Communications and Campaigns Officer!
Apply now: www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/detenti...
“Your work inspires hope and shows real humanity.”
— S, supported by our team while in detention.
This is why we do what we do - to bring hope to people trapped behind walls and to be their lifeline during a time of isolation and uncertainty.
Support us: detentionaction.org.uk/donate/
It's more important than ever that we stand with migrants against hate and division. Detention Action has been offering life-saving support since 1993. A monthly donation of £5 could help keep our phone lines open. Go to detentionaction.org.uk/donate to give to our work.
Join us!
We are looking for a Communications and Campaigns Officer to:
1) Support people in detention;
2) Challenge unjust and harmful detention and removal policies; and
3) Fight for a compassionate migration system.
Learn more and apply here: shorturl.at/LIKrh
This week, the Home Office launched a consultation on its Use of Force Policy - indicating its intent to use force on families and children during enforced removals.
Let's be clear: using force on children is utterly unacceptable. Period.
2/2 Forcefully removing families is pure cruelty. This "carrot or stick" approach will scare some families into accepting the offer-only to avoid destitution and enforced removal. A seven-day deadline will also severely limit their ability to seek legal advice or access support.
1/2 In a new pilot scheme, the Home Secretary will offer money to families who have been refused asylum to leave the country. Those who decline-including children-will risk losing their accommodation and face enforced removal. Families are given just seven days to decide.
We are hiring a Communications and Campaigns Officer.
If you find detention harmful and cruel;
If you stand in solidarity with migrants;
If you're committed to amplifying their voices in today's migration debates;
Apply now! You might be just who we need: www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/detenti...
2/2 Yet, with the majority of people in detention ultimately released back into the community, and Channel crossing numbers rising, the question remains: what is the point of this government inflicting such harm?
1/2 Last year, this government expanded detention capacity and locked away more people in detention, exposing them to significant risk of harm. This includes people fleeing war, violence, and persecution who have just survived a treacherous sea journey under the UK-France deal.
People fleeing persecution need stability and support to heal and to rebuild their lives. Temporary leaves trap them in instability and limbo.
We at Detention Action are deeply concerned with this change and how it may increase detention and unjust removals.
Yesterday, this government stripped refugees of long-term protection. Refugees will now only be offered temporary leave to remain, reviewed every 30 months, until they are granted indefinite leave to remain - which could take up to 20 years under this government’s proposed plan.
We’re recruiting Trustees to join our Board.
Join us and play a vital role in supporting our work to promote the welfare and rights of people in immigration detention.
Deadline: 12 March 2026
To find out more: detentionaction.org.uk/become-a-tru...
We are recruiting Trustees to join our board and support us in our work to promote the welfare and rights of people in immigration detention!
Application deadline: 12th March 2026
You may find more information on our website: detentionaction.org.uk/become-a-tru...
8/8 This scheme is cruel, dangerous, and unjust. We urge the government to stop this harmful scheme and establish reliable, and accessible safe routes that do not rely on the suffering of others. The statement has been reported by The Independent: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
7/8 TW: suicide
d. This scheme is causing a sharp deterioration in mental health. Many people we support show signs of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Last November, over 30 individuals went on a mass hunger strike, and to date, at least two people have attempted suicide.
6/8 c. Some have even encountered excessive use of force from detention staff, including a reported incident on 14 January when more than 60 people protesting peacefully at Harmondsworth detention centre were allegedly confronted with riot shields, PAVA spray, and dogs.
5/8 b. People seeking asylum are denied essential support for recovery and face serious barriers to legal advice and representation. Many have been removed to France without any legal representation.
4/8 a. Due to severe safeguarding failures, this scheme has detained people from war-torn regions and oppressive regimes, age-disputed children, torture survivors, and survivors of human trafficking.
3/8 A safe route must never treat people as commodities or put one person at great risk of harm so another can reach safety. We have also outlined the profound harm caused by the scheme in this statement.
2/8 We reject the government’s claim that this scheme constitutes a safe route. Under this scheme, the government will offer safe travel to one person seeking asylum in France only if it blocks another person’s asylum claim in the UK, detains and forcibly removes that person.
1/8 Today, Detention Action, alongside 21 British and French migration and refugee organisations, issues a joint statement on the harm caused by the UK-France ‘one-in, one-out’ deal. You may read the full statement here: detentionaction.org.uk/2026/02/10/j...
4/4 People seeking asylum are put at great risk of harm under this scheme. We urge this government to reflect on and respond to the allegation letters, and end this dangerous deal before it causes any further harm to people seeking asylum.
3/4 Since this scheme became operational last August, our casework team has directly supported more than 70 people detained under it. Our observations, and the testimonies of those we have supported, align with the UN experts’ concerns.