Mayotte, the Indian Ocean French territory comprising an archipelago situated between Mozambique and Madagascar, has experienced record numbers of arrivals from Africa. This has spurred plans to boost detention and deportation efforts, including backing off a proposed prohibition of the detention of children. Approximately 50 percent of Mayotte’s population are foreign nationals, and according to […]
Detention Blog
Ecuador: High Profile U.S. Deportation Case Puts Spotlight on Political Uses of Migration Control Agreements and Ecuador’s Hardening Policies
The U.S. decision to deport former Ecuadorian Interior Minister Jose Serrano reveals how the Trump administration’s controversial deportation practices are vulnerable to political manipulation. The deportation, which occurred despite a court finding that Mr Serrano could be tortured in Ecuador, was an important political objective of current Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, a right-wing political figure […]
United States: ICE’s Removal of Information about Detainees from Public Database Spurs Accusations of Enforced Disappearances
On 15 September, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed the locations of individuals with final orders of removal from its Online Detainee Locator System. Responding to this development, a coalition of NGOs has called on the UN Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances to intervene. […]
Italy: Doctors Challenged For Their Refusal to Issue “Fitness for Detention” Certificates as Health Concerns in Immigration Detention Centres Grow
Italian police are targeting doctors who issue health certificates declaring migrants “unfit” for transfer to immigration detention. Observers argue that the case highlights a fundamental paradox in Italy: doctors are asked to determine whether someone is “fit” to be placed in immigration detention centres that many doctors–and a growing number of public health experts–regard as […]
India: Renewed Scrutiny of Arbitrary Immigration Detention, Persistent Reports of Abuse, and Failure to Take Responsibility
Despite increasing international scrutiny of India’s immigration detention practices, recent reports reveal the dire conditions faced by detained migrants, refugees, and victims of trafficking in the country. UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Calls for Reforms The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has raised serious concerns about India’s immigration […]
Saudi Arabia’s Surging Deadly Treatment of Migrants and Refugees
In late July, Saudi Arabia executed five Ethiopian men who had fled the conflict-riddled Tigray region. The executions, the latest in a series involving foreigners, are taking place against a backdrop of systemic abuses of migrant workers and other non-citizens, including widespread use of abusive detention measures, lack of basic due process guarantees, and widely […]
United Kingdom: Expanding Detention Capacity Despite Continued Evidence of Harm
Despite decades of reports documenting concerns about the operation and impact of its detention system, the UK is currently seeking to massively expand its immigration detention capacity. A recent report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons highlights serious shortcomings in the treatment of female immigration detainees across the country. Detention Capacity Expansion Plans The UK […]
Argentina’s Evolution on Migration: From Inherent Right to Inherent Threat
Argentina, like much of South America, has historically not employed detention as an immigration enforcement tool and has recognised migration as a fundamental right. In recent years, however, the country has shifted towards a more restrictive approach. Under the populist firebrand President Javier Milei, this shift has accelerated considerably, including by amending the country’s legal framework to emphasise national security, encouraging Argentinians to report “illegal immigrants,” and issuing controversial decrees boosting the country’s detention and deportation powers. […]
Sierra Leone: Reports of Detention, But Limited Oversight or Access
Since May, Sierra Leone has received two groups of third country nationals, deported from the United States under an agreement between the two countries, adding yet another to the growing list of third country deportation schemes orchestrated by the Trump administration. While government representatives in Freetown have described deportees being “checked into their hosting facilities,” […]
The Netherlands: Pushing for the Criminalisation of Irregular Status
Despite recent setbacks in passing migration and asylum reforms, Dutch authorities are now seeking to pass standalone legislation to make irregular stay a criminal offence. The proposed measure has been widely criticised as incompatible with international human rights standards. Set against a backdrop of stricter family reunification rules, expanded return measures, a newly introduced two-tier asylum system, and persistent concerns surrounding detention conditions and regimes, the effort is part of the country’s increasingly restrictive approach to migration. […]
