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Public opinions about immigration are fraught.
Public opinions about immigration are fraught.
Both of the major political parties in the UK––Labour and Tory––have supported strict immigration legislation since the 1990s. In 2019, 44% of Brits surveyed said they wanted the number of immigrants welcomed into the UK reduced. 39% said that the current rate of immigration should be sustained. Only 17% said that the UK should allow more people to immigrate. At the same time, both sides of the argument have denounced indefinite detention and the detenion of pregnant women and children.
In Support
In Support
The UK government has struggled to establish a sustainable immigration system that protects the intrests of the government, populous, and immigrants. "Ministers say detention is a 'vital tool' for tackling illegal migration." (2018) A common argument for supporting immigrant detainment is that even within these facilities life is "better" than in other countries.
The most dangerous laws in recent years are collectively referred to as the Hostile Environment policy. This policy makes it harder for migrants to access jobs, housing, healthcare, bank accounts, and more. The policy, first laid out by the Labour party, was implimented by the Tory government in 2014. The policies were designed to make immigration enforcement a duty for doctors, landlords, teachers, and other public sector workers as opposed to only the Home Office.
Representatives in the House of Commons have debated about immigration rights since the early 20th century.
Tory Home Secretary Sajid Javid has accused Labour of “raising the white flag” in the battle against illegal immigration. (2018)
"These are people who should not be in the country in the first place, so they should be grateful that they are being looked after so well. That wouldn’t be the case in lots of other countries."
Tory politicians Philip Davies (above) and Theresa May (below) have been against immigrant rights for decades. May served as Home Office Secretary in the early 2010s, and was later appointed Prime Minister.
In Solidarity
In Solidarity
Since the centre opened, dozens of NGOs and human rights groups have protested the treatment of women in Yarl's Wood as well as the practice of detaining migrants indefinitely. When detainees have been deported on commercial airlines, passengers have intervened to halt the flights year after year. Major airline companies like British Airways have refused to participate in deportation. Protestors have joined in hunger strikes and staged protests across the UK in protest of Yarl's Wood.
"The women of Yarl's Wood are desperate and we owe them a duty of care," said Labour party PM Diane Abbott. (2018)
“I told you I would come back and I have kept my promise. I am there with you. I will never forget you.”
Mabel Gawanas (above) supporting the women she met inside the centre during her detainment. The Surround Yarl's Wood protest drew over a thousand supporters to the fences outside the centre. 2017.
Campaigners from Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants dropped trays of rotting food at the entrance to Serco's London headquarters in solidatrity with a hunger strike at the center. 2018.
In the News
In the News
Channel 4 released an undercover report on Yarl's Wood in 2015. It exposed the deteriorating conditions inside the centre and includes distrurbing statements by guards.
News Outlets like the BBC and Channel 4 have released hundreds of articles as well as undercover reports on the reality of life inside Yarl's Wood. Newspapers like The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Sun, The Daily Mail, and The Mirror have regularly published articles and Op/Eds about immigration since the early 2000s. Some are sensationalist pieces, but most emphasize the ineffectiveness of the Home Office in dealing with immigration.
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