Resistance to the UK's migrant prisons

The following looks at some of the resistance to the UK's migrant prisons (known as "detention centres" or "immigration removal centres") from both detainees and campaigners in the last ten years. It is far from exhaustive and is a work in progress.

Detention of immigrants in the UK was codified in the 1971 Immigration Act and has been practised on a large scale since the mid 1980s. Unlike in many other EU countries there is no time limit on immigration detention.

Aside from the detention centres and residential short term holding facilities (STHF) listed below, the UK holds thousands of people under immigration detention rules in HM Prisons every year. Migrants are also detained at STHFs at ports and airports, in cells at reporting centres, and in police custody.

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BROOK HOUSE - Gatwick, Sussex
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Opened in March 2009. Holds 426 males. Run by G4S.

When the construction of the centre was announced, activists began a campaign to try and stop it from opening. In September 2007 there was a which culminated in a march from nearby Crawley to the building site of Brook House.

In June 2009 there was a protest inside Brook House and a fire was started.

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CAMPSFIELD - Oxford
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Opened 1993, Campsfield has 216 beds. It is run by Mitie.

Campsfield has been opposed since its opening by the Campaign to Close Campsfield, who holds monthly noise demos outside the centre. They have produced a timeline documenting protests inside and outside the centre from 1993 to 2000.

In the last five years there have been numerous protests inside Campsfield, including in March 2007, December 2007, June 2008, August 2008, a hunger strike in August 2010, and a hunger strike in June 2011.

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CEDARS - near Gatwick airport, Sussex
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Opened August 2011, Cedars is a "pre-departure accommodation centre" for nine families. They can be held for 72 hours or up to a week in "exceptional circumstances". The government claims that with Cedars they have "put an end to child detention".

Cedars is run by G4S with play facilities provided by Barnardo's. There have been several protests against Barnardo's demanding that they cease their involvement in the deportation machine.

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COLNBROOK - Heathrow, London
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Opened in 2004, category B prison, holds 306 detainees. Run by Serco. Also contains a residential "short term holding facility".

London NoBorders organised a large demo outside Colnbrook and neighbouring Harmondsworth in April 2006.

In May 2009 Colnbrook was blockaded to try and prevent a mass deportation to Iraq.

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DOVER - Kent
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The Dover detention centre is housed in a former (mainstream) prison. It holds 314 male detainees and is run by HM Prison Service.

In October 2010 detainees began a protest following the death of fellow detainee Jimmy Mubenga on a deportation flight to Angola.

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DUNGAVEL - South Lanarkshire
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Opened in 2001, used to house families and children but now no minors are held there. 190 beds, managed by GEO.

On the day Dungavel opened, dozens of people protested outside. Two years later there was a large protest outside the centre on the second anniversary of its opening.

There was a protest there during the G7 in Gleneagles in 2005.

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HARMONDSWORTH - Heathrow, London
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The first detention centre at Harmondsworth was opened in 1970 and held 95 people. Its replacement, a purpose-build centre which opened in 2001, is the UK's largest migrant prison with 615 beds and is run by GEO.

There was a large demo outside Harmondsworth and neighbouring Colnbrook in April 2006.

In November 2006, there was a protest inside Harmondsworth during which large parts of the centre were destroyed. Four detainees were made scapegoats for the disturbance and were put on trial but were acquitted of the major charges. (Read more about the Harmondsworth 4 trial and the support campaign ).

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HASLAR - Portsmouth, Hampshire
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Housed in a former naval barracks, Haslar has been a detention centre since June 1989. It holds 160 men and is run by HM Prisons Service.

There have been several large protests inside the centre, including in September 2001 and a hunger strike in April 2006.

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LARNE HOUSE - Northern Ireland
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Larne House is a residential short term holding facility which opened in July 2011. It is the first migrant prison in Northern Ireland. It is run by Reliance.

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LINDHOLME - Yorkshire
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Next to Lindholme Prison, it has held immigration detainees since 2000. Holds 112 men. Run by HM Prison Service.

There have been several large protests outside Lindholme including in 2004 and 2007. The "Dignity not Detention" march of 2007 also finished with with a demo outside the centre.

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MORTON HALL - Lincolnshire
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Morton Hall, which opened in June 2011, holds 392 male detainees. Its is run by HM Prison Service.

There was a protest outside Morton Hall on its opening day, and another on 23rd July.

In September 2011 detainees from Afghanistan started a hunger strike at the prison.

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OAKINGTON - Cambridgeshire
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Oakington was a migrant prison in a former military barracks open from 2000 to 2010.

In April 2010 there was protest after the death of a detainee. Shortly afterwards the prison closed.

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PENNINE HOUSE - Manchester Airport
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Pennine House is a 32 residential short term holding facility run by Reliance.

In March 2009 there was a protest which started in central Manchester and ended at Pennine House.

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TINSLEY HOUSE - Gatwick, Sussex
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Tinsley was opened in 1996 and was the first purpose-built migrant prison in the UK. It holds 119 males and 8 families and is run by G4S.

In June 2006 there was a small demo near Tinsley after campaigners were prevented from getting to the centre by police.

In March 2009 Tinsley was blockaded to try and prevent a mass deportation to Iraq.

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YARL'S WOOD - Bedfordshire
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Yarl's Wood has 405 beds. Until very recently it children as well as adults. It is run by Serco.

In February 2002 half of Yarl's Wood burned down in a fire. Read more about the subsequent trial of accused detaineeshere.

In September 2005 a solidarity demo was held outside Yarl's Wood following the suicide of detainee Manuel Bravo.

In February 2010 there was a hunger strike at the centre, read more . There was a subsequent support campaign for the Yarl's Wood 3 who UKBA singled out as ringleaders of the hunger strike.

In the last few years there have been several demonstrations outside Yarl's Wood, including a march from Bedford to the centre in March 2009, a protest against a charter flight to Nigeria in June 2009 and a demo around the perimeter of the centre in March 2011.