New deportation centre for failed asylum seekers

Failed asylum seekers hoping to settle in the UK will be sent to a new accommodation centre called Pease Pottage. This centre will likely open next week and will be “family orientated”. This means that failed asylum seekers and their children will be housed for one week in what is claimed to be a “family orientated” atmosphere before they are forcibly removed.

This is concerning many organisations as it goes against the government pledge laid down by Nick Clegg, the deputy Prime Minister, that the government will end the detention of children of failed asylum seekers by March this year. Barnados, who made a deal with the Home Office to improve family detention centres, threatened to end this deal after it was found there were still children in detention centres earlier this year. The fact that this new family orientated detention centre is run by G4S, the infamous private security firm that was in charge of forcible deportation during the death of Jimmy Mubenga, does not help the situation. Notwithstanding this, the new centre is designed to respect the privacy of the families, and is considered to be much of an improvement from the controversial Yarl’s Wood detention centre. The families will have movement within the grounds and although there is a fence and 24 hour security, this is an improvement nonetheless.

The involvement of Barnados does comfort many as they are a charity whose priority is the welfare of the families. They have also put forward suggestions and pointers for the government to abide by if the deal is to continue. An example is that if a family is detained at these centres on more than one occasion then they will withdraw from the deal.