www.biduk.org Bail for Immigration Detainees is an independent charity that exists to challenge immigration detention in the UK. We work with asylum seekers and migrants in removal 20 years supporting over centres and prisons, to secure their release from detention. Annual Report 2019 45,000people in detention Challenging Immigration detention in the United Kingdom Bail for Immigration Detainees “Over the course of our inquiry, we have found serious problems with almost every element of the immigration detention system. People are being wrongfully detained, held in immigration detention What is immigration What does Specifically, we: when they are vulnerable and detained for detention? BID do? Anyone subject to immigration BID’s vision is of a world free • Run a telephone helpline four too long… too often the Home Office has control in the UK can be of immigration detention, mornings a week to deliver legal detained. It is an administrative where people are not deprived advice and information and not a criminal process. of their liberty for immigration shown a shockingly cavalier attitude to • Deliver legal advice sessions and There are none of the safeguards purposes. We aim to challenge workshops in detention centres and that there should be when immigration detention in the prisons the deprivation of human liberty and the depriving someone of their UK through the provision liberty. First, the decision to of legal advice, information • Prepare, update and disseminate protection of people’s basic rights.” detain an individual is taken by and representation alongside self-help materials on detention and an immigration officer and not research, policy advocacy deportation so that detainees have the (Home Affairs Select Committee 2019 Report overseen by a court. Second, and strategic litigation. tools to represent themselves if they on Immigration Detention) there is no automatic legal don’t have a lawyer advice or representation. Third, there is no time limit. Given • Prepare court cases for release on bail and deportation appeals these three factors, people can be detained for weeks, months • Carry out research, gather evidence and even years. People can also from casework, and prepare reports be re-detained, but the Home and briefings for civil servants, Office treats these as separate parliamentarians and the general periods of detention and does public about different aspects of not count cumulative lengths immigration detention of detention. Many people experience repeated periods of • Refer cases for unlawful detention detention. actions • Act as a third party intervener, or provide evidence to the higher courts on detention policy and practice • Raise awareness of immigration detention with the wider public “ BID really supported me a lot while I was in detention because they literally went to represent me for bail lots of times. Which was really, really helpful. Having people like that is going to allow more people to be able to fight for their rights.” Client 3 Challenging Immigration detention in the United Kingdom Chair’s Report Director’s report At a time when less and oral and written evidence. less seems to shock, it is BID has spent twenty years A range of different articles still unbelievable that the carefully documenting and appeared in the press, including UK exposes fellow human researching every aspect of a week’s focus on immigration beings to the degradation immigration detention policy detention in the Guardian, as of immigration detention. and practice, becoming an well as the tireless work carried Despite all the uncertainty acknowledged expert in the out by Amelia Gentleman in around Brexit, BID continues, field. BID staff through the exposing what had happened as it has done for 20 years, to years have briefed journalists to the Windrush generation. support those left vulnerable and politicians, worked BID worked behind the scenes by immigration detention. I tirelessly to influence civil to brief journalists and to assist know from the comments we servants and have borne witness with information and contacts receive from clients how much to some tangible changes – for wherever possible, and yet they appreciate what BID has example with the ending of again, BID appeared in the press done to help them at their time the detention of children in an impressive number of times. of need. The nature and range 2010. Notwithstanding the The reduction in numbers of our work is becoming more very real political difficulties of people being detained complex as we broaden the type that the country currently faces, also meant a corresponding of support we give to clients Amid all the political BID continues to advocate for reduction in the number of beyond basic bail advice and turbulence with which we were those who are detained and people that BID was able to the team continues to amaze all surrounded during 2018/19, continues to hope for, and support, but this also resulted with the quality of the work it a significant anniversary took strive for, a brighter future in providing a more in-depth delivers. place. 2019 marked twenty – our vision is for a world service to those clients who years of BID’s existence. without immigration detention were representing themselves On behalf of the Board I would Chair of Trustees Sandeep Katwala at our Anti-Birthday event marking BID’s 20th Anniversary For those inspirational and and those who work for, and who we were unable to take on like to thank Pierre Makhlouf committed people who volunteer for BID combine their for our represented service. for standing in so ably while founded BID, it must have energies to this end. Celia recovers from illness been unimaginable that the Whatever the future holds for and also to all the other staff “ In the quarter until 4 February 2018, organisation would continue One of the noticeable changes the UK, BID will continue and volunteers who work so only 45 per cent of those leaving to be around twenty years in the last year was the to push for an end to the incredibly hard to support our from then. At the heart of the reduction in the numbers of barbaric system of immigration clients. I also want to thank the detention estate were removed founders’ approach was the people being detained. While detention that has caused the Board who freely give their from the country – the rest were idea that they would not only the cynic in us feared that this so many such suffering and time and energy to support get people out of detention, might be an attempt to “clear hardship. Thank you to all of BID. And finally, none of this is released. While I welcome the overall but in conjunction with that, the decks” in preparation for you who have assisted us in the possible without the financial decrease in the numbers of those would persuade politicians that the detention of EEA nationals journey so far – we hope we and broader support you, our immigration detention was in the event of the UK leaving can count on you to continue supporters, give to BID. Thank detained, these figures continue to not only cruel and inhumane, the EU, we also hoped that to support us in the future. We you. call into question the extent to which but utterly unnecessary in the it was in response to greater need you. operation of an asylum and public scrutiny – particularly Sandeep Katwala, Chair the current use of detention is cost immigration system. Sadly, in parliament, but also in Celia Clarke, Director despite BID consistently the media – of immigration effective or necessary.” advocating for an end to detention. Condemnation for Assessment of government progress in implementing detention, the system expanded the system was wholehearted the report on the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons, and became ever more from both the Home Affairs entrenched over the years, with Stephen Shaw, July 2018 Select Committee and the Joint an expansion of the so-called Committee for Human Rights, detention “estate” along with its to which BID had given both privatisation. 4 Bail for Immigration Detainees Annual Report 2019 5 Challenging Immigration detention in the United Kingdom Bail casework and outreach Comments A sample of clients’ comments In the past year BID staff and Until this last year our “DIY” volunteers have supported a scheme (helping detainees apply Achievements total of 4,161 people. Most for bail themselves) scheme clients receive legal advice with provided advice and support a smaller proportion being to help detainees improve directly represented by BID. their own bail applications by “BID got me out of detention Staff and volunteers prepared sending them advice letters. after paying £700 to [another] “No words could ever express 522 bail applications. Of these, In the last year we have begun lawyer. The lawyer never how thankful I am.” 375 were heard in court and to help people by preparing 4161individuals provided with assistance 222 of resulted in a grant of bail their grounds for bail and applied for bail.” with an overall success rate of gathering evidence so that they 59%. A total of 107 workshops/ are better prepared to represent legal advice sessions were themselves. This has been delivered to 1,208 people in very positively received and 6 prisons and 7 immigration we are now opening a higher 525bail applications prepared, 375 actually heard; 222 removal centres (IRCs). percentage of files for our DIY released on bail “They are lovely, We try and keep track of people clients than we have done respectful, kind people. who we have advised although previously. “Very, very, very helpful.” this can be difficult as they are Thank you.” sometimes moved, or removed. A minimum of 510 people 59%success rate for represented cases provided with assistance from “Everything was BID were released.