Immigration Solicitors

By Kaajal Chandrasingh

Last year, the new coalition government announced it would end child detention. After a lengthy review process a review was finally published in December 2010. The review does not adhere to the commitment made by the collation government; child detention has not ended.

The review states that detention will continue as a last resort, pending ‘ensured return’ and few families would continue to be detained but in much reduced numbers for much shorter times in more suitable ‘pre-departure accommodation’. Detention under the guise of a new name?

Over the years, many children have been held in immigration detention with no idea of when they will be released or sent home. Further there is a wealth of evidence to confirm the damaging affects detention has on children. It must be highlighted that the review proposals are a step forward, or as some would argue, a step back to the original claimed policy of the UKBA on immigration detention of families, and thus is positive in many respects.

However in a recent report by Heathrow Airport’s independent monitoring board to cover the period February 2010 to January 2011, children were being kept in rooms with no natural light and poor ventilation when families are suspected of entering the UK illegally.

Further statistics published by the UKBA for ‘Children entering detention held solely under Immigration Act powers February 2011’ shows that there was one child in detention between the ages of 12-16. This is one child too many. The proposals by the government need to be tested and evaluated but it is not pre-emptive to say child detention has not ended.

The government must stop paying lip service to immigration detention for children. Immigration detention for families must end.