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Reporting and detention
No one should have to live in fear of being locked up because of their immigration status.
No one should have to live in fear of being locked up because of their immigration status. We don’t want to see our neighbours snatched off the streets or disappearing into detention centres.
But people in our communities who have been denied or pushed out of legal status live under the constant threat of detention and deportation. From when GMIAU was first formed, in the context of the anti-racist anti-deportation movements of the 1980s, we have stood against the detention of our community members.
Today, detentions often happen at reporting appointments – where people are told to go to “sign” at a Home Office centre regularly. This is part of how the Home Office “keeps tabs” on people, but these appointments are terrifying for people who know they may not come out. Detentions can also happen in raids on people’s home, workplaces, or in public places like bus or train stations.
In Greater Manchester, this means our city and our public spaces are not places of opportunity and connection, as they should be, but places of fear. We don’t want to see border violence on our streets. Instead, we need a system that gets people out of the cycle of precarious status, and into permanency and safety.
Our demands
1. Abolish in-person reporting and surveillance.
2. End detentions and deportations, which make our community less safe.
In particular, abandon plans to detain children.
3. Create shorter routes to regularise status, so that people do not have to live in fear.
We are proud members of the Abolish Reporting campaign, led by These Walls Must Fall and Migrants Organise.
Report: “Living in Constant Fear”
Our 2022 report found that for families in Greater Manchester, in-person reporting means living with uncertainty and feeling helpless; fearing detention and deportation; increased family poverty; disrupted education; and a negative impact on parenting and mental wellbeing.
We spoke to Beatrice, who told us “I used to sign every two weeks. Since that time, I’m so scared. It affects me mentally – even up to now, the trauma is still with me. I would tell my daughter that if they didn’t see me, they should know that I’ve been detained. My children would be scared. It traumatised them as well.”
And to Michael, who had to wear an electronic tag as well as reporting in person. He told us how difficult he finds it trying to explain to his young daughter why he is being “tracked everywhere I go”. He said “I’m very very very disappointed and very depressed.”
Resources
Challenging reporting conditions
We worked with Migrants Organise on a guide to challenging reporting conditions for individuals and caseworkers.
Reporting for care leavers
This information sheet is for social workers working with young people who have been told they need to attend reporting appointments.
Right to Remain toolkit
The Right to Remain toolkit includes detailed information on immigration detention, including what to do if you are detained or think you may be detained.
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