No Borders London held a small picket of Communications House in London yesterday. The anonymous office block at Old Street roundabout is a 'reporting and enforcement centre' of the Government's Immigration and Nationality Department. Asylum seekers who have to report here to sign on can be detained without notice as a prelude to being removed from the country.

Within the building there is a 'Short Term Holding Centre' managed by private prison company GSL (previously part of Group4). Once seized at Communications House, people are held incommunicado until a Wackenhut van removes them to their unknown fate. Friends, families and lawyers may not know for days. To maintain fear and isolation, asylum seekers are not allowed to bring anybody into the building with them. On yesterday's picket, even our leaflets with some basic advice were confiscated off people entering the building - we witnessed a man being told he would not be allowed in unless he gave us back the leaflet he had just taken from us. An unfriendly security guard ignored her own 'No Litter' sign and came outside especially to screw up a leaflet and throw it at our feet.

Communications House is part of an expanding network of 'holding', 'detention' and 'removal' centres, where thousands of people who have committed no crime are held - almost all are run by private firms for profit.

No Borders London hold monthly pickets of Communications House on the first Saturday of the month, from 1 pm to 3 pm. Next month (October) we will be focusing on a national demonstration, so our next picket of Communications House will take place on Saturday November 4th at 1 pm. Try and come along, or make your own protest.

Fight Racism, Fight Imperialism also hold regular pickets of Communications House, with the next one tomorrow, Monday September 4th at 1 pm.