Click here to download our new briefing.

In April 2024, the Conservative government’s Rwanda policy became law through the Safety of Rwanda Act (2024). Despite the UK Supreme Court having found the policy unlawful, the then government ramped up attempts to remove people to Rwanda rather than considering their asylum claims. From the end of April, thousands of people across the UK were suddenly threatened with detention and removal. In Greater Manchester, an unknown number of people were detained at Dallas Court in Salford and taken to detention facilities.

None of those people were removed to Rwanda. On the 22nd of May, a general election was announced. By the 6th July, the new government had announced that the Rwanda plan was “dead and buried”.

Less than a month later, racist riots erupted across the UK. In Greater Manchester the violence included: an arson attack on a hotel housing people seeking asylum; people of colour assaulted on the street; far right organised riots; and plans to attack immigration advice charities.

These two periods of crisis have had lasting consequences. We know that for people subject to immigration control there is not always a hard distinction between the racist riots, prolonged anti-immigrant rhetoric from government, and the state violence of immigration control.

This briefing is written by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (the only provider of not-for-profit immigration advice in the North West of England), and is based on our own experiences, as well as conversations with voluntary sector organisations, community groups, local authorities, and Greater Manchester residents with lived experience of immigration control. It documents the impact of the Rwanda detentions on residents and local services, including detentions and arrests, a climate of fear, disappearances, and housing problems and homelessness. It also highlights some of the community responses to the detentions.

Our briefing also highlights the importance of our Expectations for Greater Manchester politicians, and the need for particular attention on

• Reparative justice

• Home Office policies that leave people hyper-visible

• Repealing hostile immigration legislation

• Investment in legal aid

Click here to download the briefing.

If you have any questions about our briefing, please email amanda@gmiau.org.