Immigration Solicitors

Protesters gathered outside the government’s immigration detention centre Harmondsworth at the weekend, to protest at the detention of “innocent people”.

Harmondsworth houses detainees held under the Fast-track Detention Process – intended for asylum cases which should be straightforward to process.

However, under Fast-track Detention some detainees may be removed from the UK before they have completed the appeals process in the UK.

Online publisher Vice.com sent a reporter to speak to some of the protesters outside Harmondsworth on Saturday (09/08/14), including the organiser of the protest, Karen Doyle, who said:

“The system is fundamentally unjust – it asks people to build a case in five days. You’ve got people in there who have experienced horrific things in their home countries who are effectively thrown into prison once they arrive.

“People can react badly to being in a detention centre – it’s not uncommon for refugees to have post-traumatic stress disorder.

“People who have committed no crime are living with the constant fear of deportation.

“But today is about the whole system of detention, which needs to stop.”

Harmondsworth is not the only immigration detention centre which has been targeted by protesters – there have been candlelit vigils and calls for vulnerable women detainees to be released from Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire, which is run by Serco.

There have also been reports of vulnerable female asylum seekers being involved in sexual relationships with staff at Yarl’s Wood and after an investigation into the allegations, several members of staff at Yarl’s Wood were suspended pending further investigations.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is a specialist firm of immigration and asylum solicitors and can advise on detention under the Fast-track Detention Process, including bail applications and how to make a claim for unlawful detention.

Duncan Lewis is one of the UK’s largest providers of Legal Aid services in the UK and an immigration lawyer is available 24/7 to advise on immigration and asylum in the UK.

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

For urgent legal advice on detention and deportation from the UK – including the fast-track Detention Process – call the Duncan Lewis Emergency Hotline on 020 7275 2036.