Detention Action
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detentionaction.bsky.social
Detention Action
@detentionaction.bsky.social
Human rights charity on the frontline of immigration detention in the UK, providing direct support and campaigning for change.

detentionaction.org.uk
It’s been 100 days since the UK-France deal came into force. Every day, our Casework Team sees the serious harm it’s causing to people seeking asylum. Beyond the government's failures, detention harms people — even more so for those fleeing war, torture and persecution.
November 14, 2025 at 11:02 AM
We're hiring a Casework Coordinator to join our incredible Casework Team! Providing vital support and non-legal advice to people in immigration detention, our team help to challenge injustices in the UK's asylum, detention and deportation systems.

Apply here:
www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/detenti...
November 6, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Led by @libertyhq.bsky.social, almost 300 organisations across the UK have come together to defend the vital importance of the European Convention on Human Rights in protecting every person in the UK.

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www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Leaving the ECHR won’t stop the boats, 300 organisations warn in rallying cry
Prime minister Keir Starmer urged to make positive case for ECHR after Kemi Badenoch pledged a Tory government would leave the treaty
www.independent.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 12:46 PM
This government signed a £140 million contract to reopen the Campsfield detention centre, notorious for its appalling conditions before its closure in 2019.

Plans to expand detention by 45% will only harm more people and put them at severe risk.
www.forbes.com/sites/freyli...
October 30, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Under their deal with France, this government is detaining and removing many vulnerable people seeking asylum here. This includes people suffering from suicidal thoughts, living with the trauma of being trafficked, and those trying to reunite with their families in the UK.
October 28, 2025 at 11:06 AM
The indefinite nature of detention causes severe harm, leaving many people in detention depressed, hopeless, and intensely fearful. People are also distressed and frustrated by uncertainty over how long they will be held and whether they will be able to remain in the UK.
October 23, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Detention is inherently harmful, but people with mental disorders or past trauma are at greater risk of severe harm in detention. We are deeply concerned that people escaping persecution and crossing the Channel now face detention and removal under the new asylum deal.
October 21, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) are built like prisons. Each year, 1000s of people in detention are locked in cells smaller than a parking space, up to 12 hours a day. This government plans to open more IRCs and trap even more people inside, under threat of forced removal.
October 16, 2025 at 11:30 AM
For thousands of people each year, detention is the place where their liberty is taken away, where they’re cut off from loved ones, and where uncertainty is the norm. In our new explainer series, we aim to highlight the reality of detention and the harm it causes.
October 14, 2025 at 10:31 AM
The Home Office is often failing to identify survivors of human trafficking, subjecting them to further harm in detention. Among people we support under the UK-France deal, at least 16 have shown strong signs of being trafficked. Only 5 were referred for assessment and support.
October 9, 2025 at 12:02 PM
People seeking asylum are given only seven days to challenge their removal to France. Predictably, the system in place to provide legal support for people in detention is failing. Some are unable to obtain legal representation and end up missing crucial deadlines.
October 8, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Many people we support who are facing removal to France speak little to no English. The Home Office only provides crucial information in English with very limited interpretation. People seeking asylum often don't know why they're detained, some even after weeks locked away.
October 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Escaping persecution. Losing loved ones. Surviving smugglers & dangerous journeys. Reaching the UK. Being denied the right to work. Waiting months or years for protection. Living in fear of detention & return, all before rebuilding your life.

PM Starmer: This is no "golden ticket".
October 2, 2025 at 3:52 PM
People seeking asylum have survived torture, war, abuse, and the violent loss of loved ones. Under this scheme, they are now thrown into prison-like detention facilities and often trapped in small cells for up to 12 hours a day. Detention causes great harm to their health.
September 24, 2025 at 12:22 PM
The scheme has been beset with foreseeable problems. Screening for vulnerabilities and age is not working and the system designed to get people legal advice has predictably failed. The only way to stop this chaos is to end this deal urgently: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
September 19, 2025 at 9:52 AM
People are arriving from Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria and elsewhere, seeking our protection, only to be locked in small cells and denied the support they urgently need. The new home secretary must change course and stop putting people in even more danger: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Starmer’s migrant plan in jeopardy as man wins High Court bid to block removal
Downing Street forced to deny ‘one in, one out’ deal with France is a ‘shambles’ after two failed deportation attempts
www.independent.co.uk
September 18, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Hear Fessahaye's story: he fled torture and slavery, only to be detained in the UK and threatened with removal under the new asylum deal. Detention is harsh, harmful, and wholly unsuitable for those fleeing war, torture, and persecution.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
September 17, 2025 at 9:59 AM
As Shabana Mahmood MP steps into the role of Home Secretary, we urge her to deliver justice, fairness and compassion in the immigration and asylum systems, by ending indefinite detention and protecting the rights of people seeking asylum.
September 8, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Would you or someone you know like to volunteer at Detention Action? Last year, our amazing Casework Team provided a lifeline to 630 people trapped in immigration detention, supporting them to stand up for their rights.

Find out more: detentionaction.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer
September 2, 2025 at 10:36 AM
From 2024 to 2025, the government detained 25% more people in Immigration Removal Centres.

These are harsh, prison-like facilities where people are often locked in small cells for 12 hours a day.

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August 29, 2025 at 1:41 PM
“These people are so exhausted and so traumatised yet somehow they keep themselves so calm.” Hear from staff at the hidden Manston asylum centre speak about the treatment of people fleeing war, torture, and persecution to seek safety here.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
August 27, 2025 at 1:01 PM
The government is detaining more than 100 people who crossed the Channel, in small cells and harsh conditions. Many have escaped war, persecution and torture and are living with PTSD, depression and anxiety. Detention is no place for people seeking asylum.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
More than 100 people detained for removal after arriving in small boats, says UK government
Those held expected to be returned to France under ‘one in, one out’ scheme, but no one yet granted safe route to UK
www.theguardian.com
August 26, 2025 at 11:12 AM
1/2 Many people who cross the Channel to seek protection here have endured war, torture, sexual assault, and the violent loss of loved ones. Research shows asylum seekers are 8 times more likely to have PTSD and 2.5 times more likely to suffer depression.
August 21, 2025 at 3:02 PM
In its asylum deal, this government accepts people seeking asylum via France, but only if it removes those who cross the Channel. This "transfer scheme" relies on other people risking their lives at sea, only to be locked up and sent back. This isn’t what a safe route looks like.
August 14, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Along with 212 organisations, we call on all party leaders to end the divisive politics, racist rhetoric and demonising language of the past. Thanks to @refugeestogether.bsky.social for rallying everyone to this cause. You can read the full letter here:
togetherwithrefugees.org.uk/far-right-re...
August 12, 2025 at 3:29 PM