The APPG on Immigration Detention held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 20 April 2021.

The group used the meeting to discuss the implications of the Government’s planned new Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) for women, due to open in autumn 2021 at the former Hassockfield Secure Training Centre site in County Durham. In addition to the new IRC, the Government will also continue to detain women in units at Yarl’s Wood, Colnbrook and Dungavel IRCs.

Over 80 participants attended the meeting, including 12 parliamentarians from both government and opposition parties. Other participants included experts by experience, campaigners, lawyers, and representatives from relevant NGOs and inspectorates.

The APPG is very grateful to the meeting’s panel of speakers – Agnes Tanoh and Gemma Lousley from Women for Refugee Women who spoke about the reality of immigration detention for women, and highlighted concerns about the Government’s current approach; and  Prof. Cornelius Katona from the Royal College of Psychiatrists who discussed the known impacts of immigration detention on people’s mental health.

Minutes

A full copy of the AGM minutes, including more details of the speakers’ presentations, is available here.

AGM papers

A copy of the APPG’s income and expenditure statement for 2020-21 is available here.

Results of the APPG officer elections are here.

Useful links

The Royal College of Psychiatrists recently published a position statement on the detention of people with mental disorders in immigration removal centres. The statement was referred to by Prof. Katona in his presentation, and  can be accessed here.