Agenda item

That this Council:-

(a)       notes that the UK remains the only country in Europe with no time limit on immigration detention, and that last year over 24,000 people entered detention in the UK, with around 50% of those entering detention having sought asylum in the UK, with many fleeing from conflict and persecution;

(b)       notes that at any given time around 2,500 people are being detained indefinitely with those entering detention not knowing if they will be there for weeks, months or years while their immigration or asylum application or appeals are being processed;

(c)        notes that detention is not a criminal process, but believes that detention centres are being used like prisons and some people are even being held in prisons under immigration detention powers;

(d)       believes that indefinite detention is inhumane and negatively impacts on an individual’s physical and mental wellbeing and, with reports of widespread abuse in detention centres, believes that the Government should plan for the permanent closure of all detention centres for undocumented migrants;

(e)       notes that the use of indefinite detention also means that there is no pressure on the Home Office and on the immigration system to make swift decisions on individuals’ cases, and that there is a rapidly growing consensus amongst medical professionals, independent inspectorate bodies, people with lived experience and other key stakeholders on the urgent need for a maximum time limit;

(f)        notes that the majority of detainees are eventually released into the community and the Home Office’s detention programme costs the tax payers £125 million a year and has proven to be both costly and ineffective;

(g)       notes that Sheffield City Council has a long and proud history of supporting refugees and asylum seekers, and is proud to be known as the first City of Sanctuary, and aims to welcome people from around the world who are refugees and asylum seekers, and those who come to the city to live, work, and study here, and has previously raised concerns about the current immigration system;

(h)       believes that the UK’s immigration detention system is still not fit for purpose and the Government must end indefinite detention; and

(i)         therefore:-

(i)         endorses the These Walls Must Fall Campaign to end the injustice of immigration detention, as supported by ASSIST Sheffield, Sheffield Campaign to Defend Asylum Seekers, South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group, Sheffield Student Action for Refugees, Sheffield Trades Council, City of Sanctuary Sheffield, South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice, Sheffield Unite Not for Profit, and Sheffield Conversation Club;

(ii)        calls on the Government to immediately implement the recommendations of the Home Affairs Select Committee report into detention from March 2019, which proposes major reforms to immigration detention decision-making, including better access to legal advice, more protection for the vulnerable and improved detention conditions and a maximum time limit for detentions;

(iii)       asks Sheffield’s Members of Parliament to support the spirit of the motion, raising the matter in the House of Commons, and to support changes in current laws and procedures to introduce alternatives to detention;

(iv)       seeks further support for the motion via the Local Government Association, and by encouraging other Councils in the UK to show their support on this issue; and

(v)        reaffirms Sheffield as a City of Sanctuary.