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About detention

What is immigration detention?

Immigration detention is the practice of incarcerating people for administrative immigration purposes. In the UK, people are detained indefinitely in prison-like conditions while their immigration or asylum claim is processed. It is unnecessary, expensive and inhumane.

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24,748

people were indefinitely detained in 2018. The government claims people are held 'as a last resort'.

>50%

are released back into the community, their detention having served no purpose

58%

of people currently in detention (December 2018) have been held for over 28 days.

£30,000

cost to the taxpayer to detain someone for a year. The detention system costs over £100m per year

>£21m

compensation paid by the government for unlawful detentions since 2012

1

country in Europe with no time limit on immigration detention (the UK)