Last week, we spoke to The i Paper about our outrage at the Home Office’s plans to expand two Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs), Campsfield House in Oxford and Haslar in Gosport. Despite our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, promising to “bring back hope” in his first speech in office, the plans include expanding the detention centres to more than double their current capacity, which would make Haslar IRC the largest in the UK. 

The article, How the Home Office Bypassed Local Councils to Expand Two Immigration Centres (behind a paywall), shines a light on how these damaging plans are being pushed through, using the Crown Development Route that bypass local councils and limit local scrutiny. It also featured photos from the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed recent protests, showing the growing public opposition to detention expansion.

Our Lead Legal Education Officer, Ally Swadling told The i Paper:

Detention is not supposed to be punishment, and yet it looks and functions like a prison, and it causes irrevocable harm.

This echoes what our These Walls Must Fall campaigners have been saying for years, with many experiencing detention firsthand, some multiple times. 

Every article, every protest and every objection helps build momentum in our fight to end immigration detention. The consultation on the proposed expansion of Haslar closes on 6 August, so there is still time to have your say. You can use our objection template below. 

If you have not already, please send in your objection and encourage others to do the same. This is not just a local issue for Gosport. People detained at Haslar could be taken from anywhere in the UK, and people released from Haslar could return to communities anywhere in the UK. The harm of detention is felt by entire communities who are left to pick up the pieces. The impact of Haslar is felt by all of us.

#TheseWallsMustFall #MigrationIsLife