Migrants sexually harassed and injured in ‘unsafe’ Home Office detention centre

Traumatised migrants at a Home Office detention centre have been sexually harassed, injured or detained for over a year in “unsafe” conditions, a shocking new report reveals.

Almost half (44 per cent) of those held at Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre near Bedford have had suicidal thoughts as long waits for immigration decisions drove them to depression, HM Inspectorate of Prisons found.

Two staff members were found to have sexually harassed detainees, one migrant had their finger broken allegedly by immigration officers, and 13 had fled the centre in fear.

Several migrants were held for long periods despite being declared unfit for detention, with the Home Office admitting some should instead be in hospital. In one case, a man who was a victim of torture was detained for more than a year.

HM Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said “rapid action” was needed to improve the conditions inside the centre and to make sure immigration cases were processed quickly.

Charity Freedom from Torture said Yarl’s Wood, which houses nearly 350 migrants, was a “desperate place where vulnerable people, including survivors of torture, are left to languish in their cells”.

Yarl’s Wood is used to house women and men who have a disputed immigration status, prior to their potential deportation. Many of those who are detained there are eventually released.

In the six months leading up to the inspection in June-July this year, one male staff member was found to have sexually harassed a female detainee and a female staff member had sexually harassed a male detainee. Both workers have since resigned.

Migrants at the centre were assessed as very vulnerable and two were transferred to hospital due to severe mental illness. The Home Office conceded that detention was having “an adverse effect on the health and well-being” of several more, inspectors found.

One detainee, who had already been held for 14 months, told them: “It feels like they kidnapped me, I’m away from my friends and my family. My brain still hasn’t processed the fact that I’m in detention.”

At least two psychotic detainees, who should have been treated in hospital, had been held in a segregation unit. One man had been held there for a total of 28 days and another woman lacked mental capacity, the report said.

Detainees were also still held despite being recognised as victims of torture, trafficking or modern slavery. Those with referrals for modern slavery support cannot be deported while their claim is assessed. Some 84 per cent of people told inspectors that they felt depressed at the centre.

41 per cent of men and 23 per cent of women also said they felt unsafe at the centre.

One woman, who had been deemed too unwell to be held or released into the community, was transferred to another detention centre, rather than a hospital.

Although violence at the centre was low, inspectors raised concerns about how incidents were recorded. One detainee reported that his finger had been broken by immigration arrest officers and, although his injuries had been documented by healthcare staff, they failed to report it for investigation.

Since the last inspection in 2017, the number of people being held at Yarl’s Wood has risenand there were “more protests and more evident frustration”, the report found. This was “fuelled by longer periods of cumulative detention without enough progress on immigration cases”. At least 32 people had been detained for over six months and eight for over a year.

The centre was however judged to be well led and staffing levels had keep pace with the rising population.

In April, 13 men escaped the centre after 51 detainees gathered in the gym in a protest over frustration at the length of detentions. They were later returned. In the June inspection, experts found that many detainees who had been granted bail continued to be held at the centre because there was nowhere else to house them.

Inspectors found some people had been discharged from Yarls’ Wood to the street, although there were no records kept of the number who became homeless. In one instance, a detainee with complex needs was released with nowhere to go, while another person was released with an electronic tag on bail but there was no address applied to the tag.

Mr Taylor said Yarl’s Wood centre was “having to manage a complex and large population of detainees, many of whom were being held for long periods of time with not enough to do”.

“Many of the detainees we spoke to expressed not only their frustration but also their distress.”

Kolbassia Haoussou, director of survivor empowerment at charity Freedom from Torture, who was himself detained when he first arrived in the UK, said: “This kind of inhumane treatment serves no purpose expect to inflict harm on people who have come to the UK seeking sanctuary. And it’s time for it to stop.”

Labour’s shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said the findings showed the government’s “utter failure to adequately manage Britain’s immigration system”.

He added: “Many of the deeply troubling failures set out in this report deliver a stark reminder of what can go wrong when ministers deliver neither control nor compassion. The government must now move quickly to set out it plans to respond.”

A Home Office spokesperson said that they were “committed to ensuring that detention and removals are carried out with dignity and respect.”

They added: “We welcome the fact that His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons found that Yarl’s Wood is operationally well led, with good relationships between staff and residents and a highly valued welfare team to support those in detention.

“Policies and procedures are in place to safeguard vulnerable people and we remain committed to further improving these.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.