Immigration Solicitors

Children’s charity Barnardo’s has said that the children of failed asylum seekers are being housed separately from their parents as part of asylum control procedures at Cedars removal centre near Gatwick airport in south London.

Cedars is a purpose-built centre for failed asylum seekers which opened in 2011. Barnardo’s has helped to run the centre – but says that children should only be kept separately from their parents if there are concerns for their welfare.

The Guardian reports that families are kept at Cedars for the final 72 hours before they are put on a flight back to their home country. Barnardo’s says that one in six families are separated at some point either before or during their stay at Cedars. In some cases, this is because a parent may be a danger to their child.

Barnardo’s has published a report into the removal centre, called “Cedars Two Years On” – and Barnardo’s researchers found that in some cases families were separated from their children because of incidences of perceived or actual non-compliant behaviour by parents.

The report states:

“As a child welfare organisation this concerns us, as we do not think a family split should be used for the purposes of effecting immigration enforcement.”

The report discusses incidences involving child-parent separation at the centre, where it is not uncommon for one parent to be separated from their children and then to be sent home on a different flight from the rest of their family.

"Barnardo's believes that, if the government continues to use family splits as a means of immigration enforcement, these should be authorised at a more senior level to ensure compliance with existing guidance," says the report.

An assistant director at the Home Office has to sanction children being separated from their parents at Cedars, with the process overseen by an independent panel.

The family is told of the anticipated length of any separation and how the family will be reunited. Recommendations also stipulate that child-parent separation at Cedars should be kept to the minimum time period possible.

Cedars is not the only detention centre which is causing concern about the treatment of those detained. Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire has been at the centre of protests over the detention of women at the centre – campaigners are calling for women asylum seekers being detained at Yarl’s Wood to be freed.

Cedars was built as a result of concerns about children being detained at Yarl’s Wood.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors are a leading provider of Legal Aid services in the UK – and can advise asylum seekers on issues such as illegal entry to the UK and detention pending removal from the UK, as well asylum appeals.

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors can also advise on right to work in the UK and access to welfare benefits for migrants.

For expert legal advice on immigration and asylum in the UK contact Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors on 020 7923 4020.