The Supreme Court has refused permission for the government to appeal against the Court of Appeal judgement of 29 July 2015, which found the Detained Fast Track asylum appeal process to be ‘systemically unfair.’
Read our blog post on the story of the legal battle that led to the suspension of the Detained Fast-Track here.
The Government cannot appeal this decision, so the Court of Appeal ruling is now definitive – as Detention Action put it, it’s the ‘end of the road’ for the DFT.
What is (was!) the DFT?
The detained-fast track (DFT) is an accelerated process for considering asylum claims. The Home Office designate claims to the process if they decide they are “straightforward” and so can be determined quickly, allowing them to detain the asylum-seeker throughout the asylum process with the intention of removing them as quickly as possible.
End of the road
The legal challenge was brought by Detention Action and Migrants’ Law Project.
Jerome Phelps, director of Detention Action, had this to say on the long fight against a serious injustice:
‘After more than two years of litigation, we are delighted that the courts have now given a definitive verdict on an asylum detention system that has for many years been a stain on the UK’s reputation. We hope that the government will respect this judgement and seek alternative ways to process asylum claims quickly and fairly, so that no more asylum-seekers find themselves locked up simply for seeking sanctuary here.’
SUPPORT OUR WORK
On reaching the UK, people face a hostile environment. Without help, many will be forcibly sent back to the wars, persecution and misery they have fled.
Your donation will help us to help people in their struggle for the right to remain in the UK, and to campaign for migration justice
DONATE TO RIGHT TO REMAIN
