News

Category: Policy and Research
5 A4 briefing documents are laid out on a green background

5 A4 briefing documents are laid out on a green backgroundIntroduction to Immigration Detention: 2024 Briefing Series

Produced in collaboration with Detention Action, Medical Justice and ILPA this series of briefings introduces you to immigration detention in the UK.
28 Oct 2024

Legal Advice Survey finds low levels of representation

Our latest Legal Advice Survey paints a stark picture of the difficulties accessing legal advice while being detained.
19 Sep 2024

Prison Legal Advice Survey finds continued low levels of representation

Our newest prison legal advice survey shows the barriers to accessing immigration legal advice whilst being detained in Prisons.
19 Sep 2024
An image of barbed wire with text overlay reading "50+ organisations, 85 signatories, 1 Demand: Choose Freedom! Keep Campsfield and Haslar Closed

An image of barbed wire with text overlay reading "50+ organisations, 85 signatories, 1 Demand: Choose Freedom! Keep Campsfield and Haslar ClosedBID Sign Joint Statement to Home Secretary against Detention Expansion

With 50+ organisations and 85 individuals, we've written to Yvette Cooper MP to stop the reopening of Haslar & Campsfield detention centres.
9 Sep 2024

BID Responds to this week's Immigration Policy Announcement

We are devastated by the government’s reinforcement of dehumanising rhetoric.
22 Aug 2024
A picture of our legal director Pierre Makhlouf

A picture of our legal director Pierre Makhlouf Channel 4 News Feature: "What's the difference between you & the smugglers?"

Our legal director and former client speak with Channel 4 News about the damage caused by the scrapped Rwanda plan.
16 Jul 2024
image of barbed wire with trees in background

image of barbed wire with trees in backgroundBuilding a better system for survivors of trafficking in immigration detention

Read the briefing by the Taskforce on Survivors of Trafficking in Immigration Detention on building a better system for survivors.
9 Jul 2024
a person sign with REFUGEES WELCOME in blue capitols outside

a person sign with REFUGEES WELCOME in blue capitols outsideRead our consultation response to the Sentencing Guidelines proposals for immigration offences

This response compiled by practitioners working with those who have been charged and convicted of the immigration offences.
9 Jul 2024
Picture of barbed wire silhouetted against an orange sunset.

Picture of barbed wire silhouetted against an orange sunset. Read new academic research on how the COVID-19 pandemic made the case for detention to be abolished

The large-scale release of people in detention during the COVID-19 pandemic had no negative consequences. So why are people still being detained?
9 Jul 2024
an image of the front of the guide that reads "Applying for time extensions to obtain legal advice from a lawyer"

an image of the front of the guide that reads "Applying for time extensions to obtain legal advice from a lawyer"New resource for people in detention facing removal to Rwanda

A basic guide and template for applying for time extensions to obtain legal advice from a lawyer.
15 May 2024
Image of a plane flying over barbed wire

Image of a plane flying over barbed wireBID reopens project to help asylum seekers facing removal to Rwanda apply for immigration bail

In response to the government’s inhumane Rwanda policy, this project will help asylum seekers facing removal to Rwanda apply for immigration bail.
30 Apr 2024
image of the Ministry of Justice building London

image of the Ministry of Justice building LondonBID's response to Ministry of Justice Review of Civil Legal Aid

Read our response to the Ministry of Justice's call for evidence on Civil Legal Aid.
21 Feb 2024

BID's Joint Submission with Medical Justice to the ICCPR’s upcoming periodic review of the UK

Read our Joint Submission with Medical Justice to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights periodic review of the UK: January 2024
6 Feb 2024

Joint civil society statement on the Rwanda Bill for Second Reading in the House of Lords

Read our Joint Statement in coalition with more than 260 organisations calling on Peers to reject the Rwanda Bill at Second Reading.
30 Jan 2024

BID's JCHR submission opposing the Rwanda Bill

Read our written evidence for the Joint Committee on Human Rights, contesting the Rwanda plan as the bill enters parliament again.
17 Jan 2024

Annual Report wraps up 2023

We supported 1,690 people last year with free legal advice. Read our Annual Report to find out more.
20 Dec 2023
life on tag

life on tagGovernment doubles down on experimental surveillance tech to track migrants

Annual review of GPS tagging in the immigration system 2023
20 Dec 2023

Prison Legal Advice Survey finds shockingly low levels of legal representation

Our newest prison legal advice survey shows the barriers to accessing immigration legal advice whilst being detained in Prisons.
20 Dec 2023
Lady justice on a yellow background with writing that says Summer Legal Advice Survey August 2023

Lady justice on a yellow background with writing that says Summer Legal Advice Survey August 2023Legal Advice Survey finds low levels of representation

Our latest Legal Advice Survey paints a stark picture of the difficulties accessing legal advice while being detained.
11 Dec 2023
Earls Court and Chelsea Theater Community Story-telling winner 2023

Earls Court and Chelsea Theater Community Story-telling winner 2023WE WON! GPS tagging film wins award at Earls Court International Film Festival

Our film documenting the true story of being tracked by the Home Office 24/7 has won a London Film Festival award.
22 Nov 2023
Earls court international film festival

Earls court international film festivalGPS tagging film selected for Earls Court International Film Festival

From surveillance to silver screen: victims of arbitrary Home Office tagging nominated for London film award
15 Nov 2023

ECF funding process leads to systemic inequalities & impedes access to justice

New research reveals Legal Aid process presents applicants with hurdle after hurdle to obtain legal aid & legal representation.
7 Nov 2023

BID statement on Brook House Inquiry

Our statement on the first public inquiry into abuse and mistreatment of people held in detention.
28 Sep 2023
men in detention

men in detentionHorror stories about migrant detention centres are true: as I learned the hard way

Our former speaks out about his experience of Immigration detention in response to the Brook House inquiry in the Independent.
26 Sep 2023
artistic depiction of someone on gps tag

artistic depiction of someone on gps tagFor migrants under 24/7 surveillance, the UK feels like ‘an outside prison’

Our former client speaks to coda news about his experience of being forced to wear a GPS tag by the Home Office.
26 Sep 2023
statue of Lady Justice holding scales against blue sky

statue of Lady Justice holding scales against blue skyRead our consultation responses on legal aid

Read BID's consultation responses to the National Audit Office and the Ministry of Justice on legal aid and legal aid fees.
13 Sep 2023

BID statement on passage of Illegal Migration Bill

As this law strips away fundamental rights, we stand in solidarity with all those affected.
19 Jul 2023
man with sad expression looking out of window

man with sad expression looking out of window Stop GPS Tracking

Take action to stop the use of intrusive surveillance technology in the Hostile Environment.
23 May 2023

Ten reasons to bin the Illegal Migration Bill

With the dystopian Illegal Migration Bill at the House of Lords stage, we share ten reasons why the Lords must #BinTheBill.
11 May 2023

Ask your MP to #BinTheBill

Act in solidarity with asylum seekers and migrants and stop the Illegal Migration Bill.
19 Apr 2023

BID call for inquiry into Harmondsworth & Colnbrook IRCs

Read our letter to the Home Secretary following the death of Frank Ospina & reports of attempted suicides & self-harm.
6 Apr 2023

BID's 'Illegal Migration Bill' Briefing

Read our clause by clause breakdown of this inhumane Bill & why it must be resisted.
3 Apr 2023
greyscale image of barbed wire and fence, with a yellow box on the right hand side with the details of our latest webinar. it reads 'no more detention centres: resisting the expansion of the detention estate' and 7:00pm | 24th Jan | Online in smaller text just below it.

greyscale image of barbed wire and fence, with a yellow box on the right hand side with the details of our latest webinar. it reads 'no more detention centres: resisting the expansion of the detention estate' and 7:00pm | 24th Jan | Online in smaller text just below it. Watch back: No More Detention Centres: Resisting the expansion of the detention estate

Watch our latest event to learn about the proposed expansion of immigration detention in the UK and how we can resist it
25 Jan 2023
greyscale image of a man, with his back to us, on the phone.

greyscale image of a man, with his back to us, on the phone. BID's Annual Report wraps up 2022

Read our Annual Report for a detailed summary of what we achieved in 2022.
17 Jan 2023
front cover of BID's legal Advice Survey. The left hand column has a dark blue background and white text with BID's logo and 'Autumn Legal Advice Survery' and the 'December 2022' underneath it. The right hand column is a grey scale image of the Royal Courts of Justice's logo on their building

front cover of BID's legal Advice Survey. The left hand column has a dark blue background and white text with BID's logo and 'Autumn Legal Advice Survery' and the 'December 2022' underneath it. The right hand column is a grey scale image of the Royal Courts of Justice's logo on their buildingSerious concerns about the quality of legal advice available in detention centres

Key findings from the Legal Advice Survey gives rise to serious concerns about the quality of legal advice available.
15 Dec 2022
Freya is wearing silver star shaped glasses and a silver disco suit. She has star shaped fairy lights draped over her. She is smiling and facing the camera

Freya is wearing silver star shaped glasses and a silver disco suit. She has star shaped fairy lights draped over her. She is smiling and facing the cameraIntroducing the human disco ball raising £120,000 for BID

Meet Freya and Aaron, the dynamic duo raising a £120,000 solidarity fund for BID's work.
13 Dec 2022

BID publishes report on power cut at Harmondsworth IRC

BID report on alarming conditions that left clients without heat, light, running water, toilet facilities or hot food.
1 Dec 2022
blurred image of a barbed wire fence in the background. In the foreground there is white text in capital letters which says 'act now to stop the expansion of immigration detention'

blurred image of a barbed wire fence in the background. In the foreground there is white text in capital letters which says 'act now to stop the expansion of immigration detention'Act now to stop the re-opening of two detention centres

We need your help to stop government plans to introduce 1000 new immigration detention places
15 Nov 2022
Graphic from the cover of our report on GPS tagging. It is the ankles of a person wearing white sneakers. They have a grey GPS tagger just on their ankles. The GPS tag has a circle on it with a drawing of a satellite on it outlined with orange circle and lines.

Graphic from the cover of our report on GPS tagging. It is the ankles of a person wearing white sneakers. They have a grey GPS tagger just on their ankles. The GPS tag has a circle on it with a drawing of a satellite on it outlined with orange circle and lines.Research reveals “inhumane” effects of GPS tagging on migrants

Damning report by BID, Medical Justice & Public Law Project evidences the human cost of GPS tagging in the Immigration System.
31 Oct 2022

BID briefing on Home Office proposals to reopen Campsfield House and Haslar IRCs

Read our briefing on Home Office plans to expand the use of detention.
13 Oct 2022

Brook House report finds systemic flaws in Home Office decision-making & Rwanda policy

BID's summary of concerns raised by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons' report on Brook House Immigration Removal Centre.
3 Oct 2022

Film documents Omar's experience of being locked in a cell for 22-23 hours a day for over a year

Watch “I need air” a short documentary by Omar, Yasmine Jessy Amar & Bail for Immigration Detainees.
1 Sep 2022

BID briefing on Home Office proposals to reopen Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre

Our briefing on Home Office plans to open a 400-capacity detention centre and why they must be resisted.
23 Aug 2022

BID briefing on GPS electronic monitoring of people on immigration bail

Briefing presents systemic problems with the government’s use of GPS Electronic Monitoring (EM) of people facing deportation.
17 Aug 2022

HMIP inspection of Colnbrook demonstrates appalling failings

Report demonstrates multiple failings in a centre where many people facing removal to Rwanda are now held.
11 Jul 2022

What is GPS tagging & how does it affect people's lives?

BID's Rudy Schulkind explains in this short video.
5 Jul 2022

Evidence from the first ever public inquiry into immigration detention

Read about the evidence given, including our own, as part of the Brook House Inquiry.
9 May 2022

Ask your MP to take a stand against deporting people seeking asylum to Rwanda

It takes less than two minutes to email your MP using our handy tool & template.
19 Apr 2022

BID and 150+ organisations oppose plans to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda

We have joined a powerful coalition of voices calling for the government to scrap these inhumane and unworkable plans.
14 Apr 2022

Families for Justice on ‘Separated Families: Unjust Deportations & the Families Left Behind’

Hear about the devastating impact of deportation on families torn apart by cruel Home Office policies.
13 Apr 2022

Join thousands condemning the Nationality & Borders Bill

With MPs set to vote on the Bill tomorrow, join this diverse & sometimes surprising chorus of voices condemning the key principles behind this bill.
17 Mar 2022

Irreconcilable: The government's position on Ukrainian refugees & the Nationality & Borders Bill

The Government's position on Ukrainian refugees is irreconcilable with the Nationality & Borders Bill. Ask your MP to take a stand for all refugees.
17 Mar 2022

Joint letter raises serious concerns over the Government's ‘Human Rights Act Reform’ consultation

BID has written a joint letter to Dominic Raab raising concerns about 'misleading' & 'partisan' consultation.
7 Mar 2022

BID responds to the 'Human Rights Act Reform' consulatation

BID concludes proposals are incoherent, unnecessary & would have the consequence of diminishing human rights protection in the UK.
4 Mar 2022

BID’s summary of the ICIBI’s second annual report on vulnerable adults in detention

Read our summary of this 126-page damning critique of the Home Office’s operation of the immigration detention system
28 Feb 2022

BID responds to the Napier Barracks planning application open consultation

Read our response to the Napier Barracks planning application open consultation.
28 Feb 2022

BID & Medical Justice Respond to the Prisons Strategy White Paper

Read BID & Medical Justice's Response to the Prisons Strategy White Paper.
9 Feb 2022

Eight reasons why the Home Office can't be trusted with more power

The Nationality & Borders Bill is making its way through the House of Lords but the Home Office can't be trusted with more power.
27 Jan 2022

Watch back: "I need air": Solitary confinement & Immigration detention

Watch back our event to hear how the Home Office routinely uses solitary confinement for immigration detention purposes.
26 Jan 2022

BID’s analysis of HMIP report into Dungavel IRC

HMIP report demonstrates the harmful impact of detention and its disproportionate use.
11 Nov 2021

Joint letter requests ICIBI inspection into Home Office decision making in cases involving children

Our evidence suggests that the Home Office routinely fails to consider the best interests of children. We ask the ICIBI to investigate.
4 Nov 2021

BID welcomes Supreme Court's landmark ruling in R(Majera)

The ruling is a timely reminder to the Home Secretary that her department is not above the law
21 Oct 2021

BID join over 100 organisations calling on the Government to abandon plans to criminalise refugees

Over 100 charities and human rights organisations have written to the Home Secretary, urging a generous and compassionate welcome to Afghan refugees.
2 Sep 2021

BID writes to the Home Office over failure to acknowledge EUSS applications

The Home Office is denying evidence of our clients’ EUSS applications, prolonging our clients' detention.
2 Aug 2021

BID briefing on detention of trafficking survivors

Policy changes and proposals set out in the Nationality and Borders Bill bill will dismantle the rights and protections of trafficking
29 Jul 2021

New research: ​"Every day is like torture": Solitary confinement & Immigration detention

New research documents the devastating impact upon immigration detainees in prisons of conditions amounting to indefinite solitary confinement.
8 Jul 2021

BID's response to the Nationality and Borders Bill

We raise the alarm about areas of the bill that pose a particular threat to our clients.
7 Jul 2021

No way out: Asylum accommodation & bail

For Refugee Week we highlight the hardships faced by homeless asylum seekers & refused asylum seekers applying for bail.
17 Jun 2021

Watch back: "Excessively cruel": Detention, deportation & separated families

Hear from our speakers on the impact of the UK's detention and deportation regime on families.
16 Jun 2021

BID and Liberty call for an end to intrusive GPS monitoring

Our letter, signed by 42 organisations, was covered in an article in the Guardian
14 Jun 2021

Reports highlight the harms faced by UK families threatened with a family member’s deportation

Reports call on the Government to recognise the impacts of the immigration system on UK families, including British children.
8 Jun 2021

Baroness Shami Chakrabarti to chair "Excessively cruel": Detention, deportation & separated families

Join Baroness Shami Chakrabarti at 4pm on 8th June for a discussion of the impact of the detention and deportation system on families.
3 Jun 2021

How the government plans to deport rough sleepers

How new rules make rough sleeping grounds for removal
13 May 2021

Organisations across the UK defend The Human Rights Act

BID volunteer Sigrid Corry reviews responses to the Independent Review of the Human Rights Act.
6 May 2021

BID writes to Priti Patel criticising 'New Plan for Immigration' consultation

The consultation process has been irredeemably flawed. Read our full letter to the government.
30 Apr 2021

Royal College of Psychiatrists document the impact of detention on mental health

BID welcomes report documenting the impact of detention on those with mental health illnesses.
21 Apr 2021

BID raises concerns on the use of prolonged solitary confinement in immigration detention

Read our letter to the Home Office about the use of solitary confinement for immigration detention purposes.
7 Apr 2021

BID's Briefing on Electronic Monitoring

Read our briefing on the Home Office's plans to implement new GPS monitoring of immigration detainees on immigration bail.
24 Mar 2021

BID's briefing on the Policing Bill

Read our briefing on how the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will erode the rights of migrants.
18 Mar 2021

Read our joint evidence to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee on SI 2021/184

Read our concerns about changes that will weaken the protections against detention afforded to potential victims of trafficking.
9 Mar 2021

BID's response to the call for evidence from the Independent Human Rights Review Panel

Read BID's response to the call for evidence from the Independent Human Rights Review Panel.
9 Mar 2021

BID volunteer Alice writes on the use of foreign aid in migration control

Policy volunteer Alice shares her research on the use of foreign aid in migration control
2 Mar 2021

Lack of legal aid advice for immigration detainees held in prisons ruled unlawful

In a judgment handed down today, Mr Justice Swift found that the current system is discriminatory and unlawful.
25 Feb 2021

Legal Advice in Detention - A 10 Year Review

A decade of data exposes multiple and compounding barriers to justice faced by people in detention.
4 Feb 2021

Watch back: Risky business: detention decision-making during the pandemic

Hear from our speakers including the BID team, a former client, Zita Holbourne from BARAC & Dr Juliet Cohen from Freedom from Torture
28 Jan 2021

Schedule 10: 3 years on

3 years on from the implementation of Schedule 10 of the Immigration Act 2016, we discuss how it has undermined the operation of the bail process.
21 Jan 2021

BID and 73 other organisations call for the urgent release of immigration detainees

BID has written a letter to the government calling for the release of everybody held in immigration detention, supported by 73 organisations.
15 Jan 2021

Dire conditions described by union of residents in Penally

The report​, prepared for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Immigration Detention, is a detailed illustration of living conditions.
24 Dec 2020

Immigration bail hearings during the Covid-19 pandemic

BID publishes new research on immigration bail hearings during the Covid-19 pandemic.
15 Dec 2020

Join our call for the urgent release of people held in prison under immigration powers

40 organisations signed our open letter to the Home Secretary. Email your MP to add your support.
3 Dec 2020

Watch back our first BIDREADS event with Lowkey & Dr Maya Goodfellow

Dr Maya Goodfellow discusses her book 'Hostile Environment: How Immigrants Became Scapegoats' with rapper & activist Lowkey
25 Nov 2020

New research published today examines the impact of family separation upon children

BID publishes new research to help people demonstrate to the court the impact their deportation will have upon their child.
20 Nov 2020

Detention and deportation during covid-19: what the figures tell us

As the Home Office continue their detention & deportation regime through the pandemic, we look at what the figures tell us
17 Nov 2020

BID’s evidence to the Independent Review of Administrative Law

Read BID's submissions on the future of judicial review & the future of legal aid
12 Nov 2020

The shifting landscape of immigration detention: Our response to the latest HMIP report

What Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons’ (HMIP) report reveals to us about the UK’s shifting landscape of immigration detention
27 Oct 2020

Anti Slavery Day: 50+ experts call for end to harms facing survivors

BID joins After Exploitation & over 50 other experts to call for the government to stop detaining victims of modern slavery
18 Oct 2020

Our client, Anna*, tells her story from inside Yarl's Wood

Despite what the government has told us, Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre is still being used to detain women.
16 Oct 2020

On World Mental Health Day, BID Legal Manager Adam discusses how detention affects mental health

BID Legal Manager Adam Spray discusses immigration detention & mental health as we mark World Mental Health Day
10 Oct 2020

Strategic Litigation: The case of Humnyntskyi, A & WP

A summary of this landmark case for which BID provided three witness statements.
30 Sep 2020

BID signs open letter along with over 31 other organisations demanding no return to normal

BID has signed an open letter to the UK immigration minister including 9 recommendations
10 Sep 2020

Immigration, Racism & the Prison Industrial Complex

Bethany Morris, Immigration Advice Service, explores the corporatisation of the UK's prison system
3 Sep 2020

Bail accommodation system ruled “systemically unfair”

BID speaks with Free Movement about this landmark High Court case for which BID provided three witness statements
2 Sep 2020

BID statement – Charter flight and people arriving in small boats

Read BID's statement about the charter flight and people arriving in small boats
12 Aug 2020

BID speaks on London-born twins Darrell & Darren Rogers facing deportation

BID speaks with the Guardian & the Mirror about the Home Office's decision to deport London-born twins Darrell & Darren Rogers
15 Jul 2020

BID response to Home Office position paper against a time limit for detention

Our response to the Home Office's political position paper justifying its use of immigration detention.
2 Jul 2020

BID volunteer Alice writes on the UK’s response to COVID-19 in immigration detention centres

Despite the Covid-19 risk, detention centres in the UK remain open. BID volunteer Alice compares the UK's response with other European countries.
21 Apr 2020

BID signs Runnymede Trust’s Open Letter 'Windrush: 10 urgent recommendations'

BID joins organisations urging the government to implement 10 recommendations following the Windrush Review.
14 Apr 2020

"Disposable lives" immigration detainees and COVID-19: BID's Rudy Schulkind writes for openDemocracy

Despite the health crisis, detention centres are still running. Rudy outlines how the plight of immigration detainees is highlighted during COVID-19.
14 Apr 2020

BID & Medical Justice submit evidence to the United Nations ICCPR review of the UK

BID & Medical Justice lay out urgently needed reforms in their joint submission to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
14 Jan 2020

BID 2019 Annual Report Published

With your support, we supported over 4,000 people to fight for their liberty last year. Read more in our Annual Report.
17 Dec 2019

Plans to rip-up Human Rights and Judicial Review and why they must be resisted

​Today on #HumanRightsDay we raise the alarm about threats to the Human Rights Act and Judicial Review
10 Dec 2019

Exploring calls for time limits on immigration detention

BID trustee Kezia Tobin discusses the recent calls for time limits on immigration detention.
17 Jun 2019

“Careless and cavalier” Home Affairs Select Committee slams immigration detention

Home Affairs Select Committee slams immigration detention system and Home Office management of it as witnesses give compelling evidence.
21 Mar 2019
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