Since taking office, the Labour government has sharply increased immigration enforcement, with a surge in immigration raids, arrests, and detention across the UK. Between July 2024 and May 2025, there were 6,410 arrests on suspicion of working without permission – a 51% rise on the previous year. Home Office teams carried out over 11,000 immigration raids on businesses in the 12 months to September 2025, up more than 50%, and made 8,000 arrests, a 63% increase.

At the same time, the use of immigration detention is rising again after years of decline. Between June 2024 and June 2025, 21,653 people entered detention, a 14% increase on the previous year. On 30 June 2025, 1,808 people were being held in immigration detention and more than half of those were were released on immigration bail – not removed from the UK.

For many communities, this increase in raids and detention means a growing sense of fear and uncertainty, and a greater need for clear information and support. 

In this context, and following lessons learnt from the #FreeFatou campaign, we have re-written and updated our resources on Immigration Detention.

Why we’ve updated the Key Guide

Immigration detention cuts across both asylum and wider immigration issues and its impact is felt far beyond the person detained.  Each time someone is taken, families and communities rally to offer care, rebuild, and keep fighting for justice – work that should never have to fall to us, but does because the system is designed to exhaust, destabilise and deplete us.

We’ve moved the Immigration Detention section out of the Toolkit and into a Key Guide to reflect this broader impact and make the information clearer and easier to use. The new format focuses on practical steps and support, recognising that detention can happen suddenly and that people need quick, reliable guidance to stay safe and connected.

We’ll also be publishing an updated Key Guide on Immigration Enforcement and Reporting in the coming weeks.

New tools and updates in the Key Guide

We have added additional sections and refreshed existing material in response to lessons learnt on the ground and feedback from the community. These include:

• Updated Action Section on how to be prepared in case of detention 
• A checklist you can download to create a safety plan in case of detention 
• A template form of authority that you can download and complete to give permission for a trusted person to act on your behalf in case you are detained.
• Action Section for people who were detained while living in asylum support (accommodation provided by the Home Office) 
• Action Section with suggestions on actions to take if someone in your community is detained. 
• Updated information about rights and entitlements in immigration detention including information on medical assessments, safeguards in detention, communication and internet use. 

Knowledge is a form of power, but it’s also a form of care. When we talk about detention openly, we help each other feel less alone, better prepared, and more able to act together. 

Ally, Legal Education Officer