As we enter the new year, it’s only natural to reflect on the challenges, successes, strengths, and opportunities for growth in the year ahead. At These Walls Must Fall, we look forward to the exciting events, campaigns, and development programs we’ve been planning. However, for those with lived experience of the hostile environment, life often takes unexpected and disheartening turns.

Recently, while regaining strength and preparing for the year ahead, one of our community members faced immense fear and anxiety triggered by routine Home Office reporting. Despite providing hospital letters, solicitor statements, and letters from our team, the Home Office insisted they attend in-person reporting. The result was a severe health attack that led to hospitalisation.

The Fight to Abolish In-Person Reporting

For years, we have campaigned to abolish in-person reporting, advocating instead for phone reporting as a humane alternative. These so-called “welfare checks” only inflict stress and deepen mental health struggles. Given that the Home Office already houses many people seeking asylum, additional in-person reporting is unnecessary.

Reporting centres are places of trauma. People undergo invasive security checks, with personal belongings—including phones, wallets, and even belts—confiscated. The sound of doors slamming shut behind them creates an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. Many enter not knowing if they will be allowed to leave.

Solidarity at Dallas Court

In response to this distressing situation, we organised a solidarity support stall at Dallas Court, in collaboration with Manchester Resist Deportations and No Borders Manchester. Local organisations and individuals came together to stand with our community member and others reporting that day. Armed with coffee, biscuits, and crucial information leaflets, we engaged with individuals facing the daunting reporting process.

Though it was heart-wrenching to witness the fear and desperation of those entering the building, it was a productive day. We shared our toolkit with information on detention and empowered individuals with knowledge of their rights.

The Power of Solidarity

Support at reporting centres is essential—it provides a lifeline to vulnerable individuals. These solidarity stalls, part of the Solidarity Knows No Borders movement, continue across various cities, including Liverpool, where we have participated several times.

We are incredibly grateful to our community for showing up with love, unity, and determination. The will to take action and stand by one another was palpable. Even in an unplanned and difficult moment, the spirit of solidarity restored hope.

A Victory Hard Earned

Thanks to the tireless efforts of GMIAU solicitors, our community member was eventually exempted from in-person reporting and transitioned to phone reporting. While this victory came at the cost of irreversible health damage, it stands as a testament to the possibility of change. The Home Office must stop punishing people and make phone reporting the norm for everyone.

Looking Ahead: Strengthening Solidarity Actions

Following this ordeal, we returned to our original plans for sessions and actions in 2025. One of these sessions was designed to introduce basic information about reporting and detention while strengthening solidarity actions at Liverpool’s reporting centre.

The session featured an update from Merseyside SKNB, whose ongoing work in Liverpool is both impressive and inspirational. We also discussed the difference between legal advice and legal support, with These Walls Must Fall offering critical insights into the reporting process.

The powerful impact of the session is reflected in the feedback below:

Very informative, inspiring – please come back!

Super Insightful…I knew nothing about the reporting process. The stories of those with lived experience were very powerful

Thank you so much for shedding light on a complex web of immigration control. Really got an insight into looking at the everyday subjugation and control of reporting.

Very well organised…good to meet people in real life and build actual relationships!

Personal Stories of Pain and Hope

Jane Mundangepfupfu shared her experience of supporting three housemates who report weekly on different days. Though she does not have to report herself, she has witnessed their emotional distress, compounded by language barriers. She spoke from the heart, emphasising the emotional toll on both those reporting and those who support them.

Joseph, a campaigner who has endured detention, reporting, and GPS tagging, shared his journey. He described the trauma inflicted by the Home Office—confusion, fear, anxiety, and a sense of not belonging. Yet, he also spoke of the profound hope he felt when first encountering solidarity supporters outside Dallas Court. That hope continued when he was later moved to Liverpool and found Merseyside SKNB outside the reporting centre.

A Call to Action

We concluded the session by sharing updates from other cities, offering guidance on how to support people even without being physically present, and emphasising the importance of safety and collaboration.

We encourage anyone with time and energy to join these solidarity stalls. They restore hope, build community, and remind individuals facing the hostile environment that they are not alone.

To everyone who stands with us, advocates for change, and continues to fight against the hostile environment—thank you. Together, we prove that solidarity knows no borders, and change is indeed possible.

By Maggy Moyo, These Walls Must Fall Organiser