At Asylum Welcome, we stand with those impacted by the Hostile Environment, including the detention system. Our opposition to reopening Campsfield is evidence-based and shaped by our own experiences providing a visiting service there from 1993 to 2018.
Yarl’s Wood. Brook House. Harmondsworth. These names are notorious for a reason—immigration detention centres are synonymous with cruelty.
Despite government claims, most detainees held at Campsfield will eventually be released into the community. Many will endure long periods of detention, even without a realistic prospect of deportation. Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, revealed in a damning report earlier this year that around 60% of detainees at Harmondsworth were eventually released, and we have no reason to believe the new Campsfield will be any different.
Immigration detainees are not being held in punishment for a criminal offence and yet the system places overwhelming emphasis on confinement and security, with little focus on welfare. Detention centres are operated for profit by private companies, complaints of bullying and racism are rife, and healthcare services are often drastically under-resourced. We know that survivors of torture, trafficking, and sexual abuse are routinely detained, contrary to official guidance. Again, we have no reason to believe Campsfield will be different.
Legal representation becomes far more difficult within detention, leaving detainees even more isolated from justice. And unlike in any other European country, the UK has no time limit on detention, meaning people can be held indefinitely—sometimes for months or years—without knowing when they might be released. This is a shocking abuse of human rights, and – as I hope you will agree – contrary to everything we like to think of ourselves as a country.
Unsurprisingly, this leads to a cycle of trauma, self-harm, and tragically, suicide attempts. From January to May 2024, there were 285 incidents of self-harm across the UK’s detention centres, meaning self-harm incidents occurred almost twice a day.
At Asylum Welcome, we believe in a compassionate, fairer approach. We welcomed the closure of Campsfield following the two Shaw Reviews, after which the then Conservative government appeared to accept that immigration detention must be drastically reduced. The Brook House Inquiry, published last year, exposed a “toxic culture” and “credible evidence” of breaches of human rights law and recommended widespread changes, including a 28-day time limit. We support community-based alternatives to detention that have been successfully piloted in recent years.
We urge you all to back the motion and to raise Oxford’s voice to Keep Campsfield Closed. Thank you.
