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Public Law Solicitors
Press: 50 migrants detained for removal to Rwanda freed on bail (14 June 2024)
Date: 14/06/2024
Duncan Lewis Solicitors, representing 50 asylum seekers who were detained for removal to Rwanda, announced on Wednesday that their clients have been released on immigration bail following court hearings. This significant development has been covered by major news outlets, including the Independent , The Standard and BBC News
In a statement, Duncan Lewis said:
"At the end of April, we understand that scores of people were detained pursuant to the Rwanda plan, despite no decisions being made on whether their asylum claims were inadmissible and despite no decisions taken on whether it was safe for them to be removed to Rwanda."
"We represent 50 of those detainees and can confirm that they all now have bail. Many clients are survivors of torture and trafficking. The tribunal, in granting bail, rightly assessed them to not carry a risk of absconding, reaching the rational view that removal was not imminent."
"Removal was not imminent at the time of detention and certainly not imminent after the Prime Minister’s announcement calling for a General Election. The detrimental impact that unnecessary and prolonged detention has had on our vulnerable clients is yet to be fully assessed."
This outcome comes amid growing calls for the immediate release of migrants scheduled for removal to Rwanda, following the Prime Minister's admission that flights would not depart before the General Election. The law states that individuals can only be held in detention centres if there is a "realistic prospect" of their removal from the UK within a reasonable time frame.
To read the full story, visit Independent , The Standard and BBC News
Duncan Lewis Solicitors
Duncan Lewis Solicitors, listed as one of the Times 200 Best Law Firms and regularly recognised as an ‘outstanding firm’ for diversity and inclusion, is a long-established leading law firm representing both privately and publicly funded (legal aid) clients in more than 25 practice areas across 14 key offices nationwide. Headquartered in the City of London, Duncan Lewis is recognised by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK independent legal directories as a top-tier law firm in all of its key practice areas, where we are described as “a diligent and professional team that is prepared to go the extra mile for its clients”.
Duncan Lewis’ Public Law team, ranked in Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 UK directories, has a broad practice representing both privately and publicly funded (legal aid) clients in matters involving immigration; asylum and human rights and deportation matters, with a niche practice in immigration and civil liberties claimant judicial review matters. They have significant practice in challenging delays in Home Office decision making, unlawful immigration detention cases with high net claims for damages and challenging immigration removal decisions, particularly third country removal cases.