Detention Action

We’re recruiting Trustees to join our Board.
Join us and play a vital role in supporting our work to promote the welfare and rights of people in immigration detention.
Deadline: 12 March 2026
To find out more: detentionaction.org.uk/become-a-tru...

We are recruiting Trustees to join our board and support us in our work to promote the welfare and rights of people in immigration detention!
Application deadline: 12th March 2026
You may find more information on our website: detentionaction.org.uk/become-a-tru...

Migrants launch court bid to halt one-in, one-out deportations to France Legal challenge comes as a coalition of UK and French charities issue a statement warning of widespread failures under the flagship deal

8/8 This scheme is cruel, dangerous, and unjust. We urge the government to stop this harmful scheme and establish reliable, and accessible safe routes that do not rely on the suffering of others. The statement has been reported by The Independent: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

7/8 TW: suicide
d. This scheme is causing a sharp deterioration in mental health. Many people we support show signs of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Last November, over 30 individuals went on a mass hunger strike, and to date, at least two people have attempted suicide.

6/8 c. Some have even encountered excessive use of force from detention staff, including a reported incident on 14 January when more than 60 people protesting peacefully at Harmondsworth detention centre were allegedly confronted with riot shields, PAVA spray, and dogs.

5/8 b. People seeking asylum are denied essential support for recovery and face serious barriers to legal advice and representation. Many have been removed to France without any legal representation.

4/8 a. Due to severe safeguarding failures, this scheme has detained people from war-torn regions and oppressive regimes, age-disputed children, torture survivors, and survivors of human trafficking.

3/8 A safe route must never treat people as commodities or put one person at great risk of harm so another can reach safety. We have also outlined the profound harm caused by the scheme in this statement.

2/8 We reject the government’s claim that this scheme constitutes a safe route. Under this scheme, the government will offer safe travel to one person seeking asylum in France only if it blocks another person’s asylum claim in the UK, detains and forcibly removes that person.

1/8 Today, Detention Action, alongside 21 British and French migration and refugee organisations, issues a joint statement on the harm caused by the UK-France ‘one-in, one-out’ deal. You may read the full statement here: detentionaction.org.uk/2026/02/10/j...

4/4 People seeking asylum are put at great risk of harm under this scheme. We urge this government to reflect on and respond to the allegation letters, and end this dangerous deal before it causes any further harm to people seeking asylum.

3/4 Since this scheme became operational last August, our casework team has directly supported more than 70 people detained under it. Our observations, and the testimonies of those we have supported, align with the UN experts’ concerns.

2/4 The letter raises grave concerns about detaining torture survivors, degrading treatment and use of force in detention, failure to protect people at risk of suicide, and the removal of modern slavery survivors and people facing danger in France.

1/4 UN Experts and Special Rapporteurs have sent formal allegation letters to both the UK and French governments over serious potential human rights violations under the ‘one-in, one-out’ deal. You may read the full story here: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Brook House reported 76 use-of-force incidents in March 2025 alone - an average of two every day - alongside routine use of handcuffs and isolation.This is concerning given that the Brook House inquiry found 19 instances of human rights breaches in 2017.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Rainbow Migration found that no UK detention centre has a policy for staff to track or challenge homophobic behaviour, and the Home Office has failed to monitor the prevalence of such incidents across the detention estate. bylinetimes.com/2026/01/21/h...

A new report from Medical Justice reveals that 18 of 33 people surveyed under the UK–France deal show ‘clinical evidence of torture or trafficking’ — yet safeguarding in detention is failing to protect them.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

“Overcrowded, squalid and insanitary,” with outbreaks of diphtheria and scabies — evidence heard at the public inquiry into the horrific detention conditions at Manston in 2022. The Home Office must learn from its lesson and treat migrants with dignity.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Immigration detention is not only costly, it is ineffective and harmful. The majority of people being locked away in detention ended up being released back to the community. There is also no evidence that detention deters people from traveling to the UK.
www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

4/4 We stand in solidarity with all people seeking asylum who are detained, affected by this scheme, or who participated in peaceful protests. We urge the Home Office to immediately stop the excessive use of force and bring an end to the UK/France deal before it causes any further harm.

3/4 Detention Action has been supporting people affected by this scheme since it became operational last August. In just six months, we have witnessed its severe failings and the significant harm it has caused to people seeking asylum.

2/4 We are particularly alarmed by the dangerous use of dogs and tear gas against people in detention. Such measures are deeply troubling and pose significant risk of harm.

1/4 We are deeply concerned by the reported use of force within detention centres against people seeking asylum who peacefully protested the UK–France deal last week.

We question the necessity of using force against individuals engaging in peaceful protest within the centres.

Last week, more than 100 people seeking asylum peacefully protested against the UK–France deal within detention centres. Officers reportedly used an alarming level of force, including riot shields, dogs, and tear gas, to forcibly end the protest. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Do you speak a language other than English?
We’d love you to join us. Become a volunteer interpreter and help provide vital support to people in detention!

9am tomorrow is the application deadline.
Join us to make a real difference!
To apply: detentionaction.org.uk/get-involved...

We need you! We are currently recruiting volunteer interpreters. As a volunteer interpreter, you will support calls with people in detention, helping us provide vital practical and emotional support. To apply, please visit our website: detentionaction.org.uk/get-involved...

Most of those detained are young adults aged 17–30 from war-torn countries such as Sudan, Afghanistan and Iran. Many experience insomnia, depression and anxiety in detention, with some facing severe mental health crises, including self-harm.

Eighty people seeking asylum - detained under the UK–France Deal - have launched a report detailing their experiences of fear, humiliation, and psychological distress caused by the Home Office.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Home Office breached immigration detainees’ human rights, judge rules | LBC After entering the UK illegally in 2023, one detainee told officers after being detained that he had self-harmed in the past, heard voices and had suicidal thoughts

In this case, the court heard that detention had worsened the mental illness of two men and increased their self-harm and suicide risk.

More evidence of serious failures within the immigration detention system, as the High Court rules that there has been an unlawful failure of the Home Office’s system designed to protect vulnerable people from inhuman and degrading treatment in detention.