Immigrants: Detainees

(asked on 3rd June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new detentions under immigration powers there have been since 23 March; in which centres people were so detained and what was their country of origin; and of these how many involved (1) people transferred from prisons into immigration detention at the end of their prison sentences, (2) people detained after chance encounters with immigration enforcement, and (3) planned detentions.


Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This question was answered on 17th June 2020

The Government published statistics relating to COVID-19 and the immigration system on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-relating-to-covid-19-and-the-immigration-system-may-2020), on 28 May and the latest Immigration Statistics publication (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2020) includes the numbers of individuals detained under immigration powers in prisons.

Since the UK lockdown was announced on 23 March 2020 (up to the 30 April 2020), 295 people have entered detention, 231 of which were clandestine entrants held by UKVI for processing before being dispersed through appropriate routes. Those being held for processing spend very short periods of time at a short-term holding facility and can only be held for a maximum of seven days. This does not include those who were transferred to the detention estate from prison. Statistics on people in immigration detention during the second quarter of 2020 (April to June) will be published in August in the immigration statistics quarterly release.

Immigration offenders encountered by Immigration Enforcement by chance or as part of a planned operation, will be considered for detention for the purpose of removal, on a case-by-case basis, by applying the published detention and adults at risk in immigration detention policies. Information on the current situation in any given country is used when making decisions to detain.

The safety and health of people in the detention estate are of the utmost importance. We are following all Public Health England guidance and have robust contingency plans in place. As of 17 June 2020, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in immigration removal centres.

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