In April, after the Democratic Republic of Congo announced the launch of a “temporary reception system for third country nationals,” a group of deportees from the United States arrived, marking the latest expansion of the Trump administration’s massive immigration crackdown and deportation agenda. Upon arrival, the group were placed in a hotel from which they were reportedly prevented from leaving, raising credible fears of de facto detention. With the DRC facing a severe and well-documented human rights crisis characterised by ongoing armed conflict, mass displacement, and widespread abuses by state and non-state actors, the choice of destination is a deeply troubling one. […]
Detention Blog
Kenya: Security Versus Protection?
In February, the UK and Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding on “collaborative border security,” reinforcing a bilateral partnership on migration that reflects Kenya’s securitised approach to migration and refugee issues, which includes the use of dozens of police stations and prisons across the country for immigration detention purposes. In contrast, Kenya’s National Commission on Human Rights joined counterparts from Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zambia in a recent public demand for stronger protections for migrants travelling along the so-called “Southern Route,” warning of escalating rights abuses linked to increasingly enforcement-driven approaches. […]
Serbia: Rights at Risk Amidst Ongoing Ad Hoc, De-Facto Detention
Although Serbia maintains official immigration detention facilities, migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers continue to be deprived of their liberty in a range of informal sites where their fundamental rights are violated. Testimonies from former detainees and reports by the country’s National Preventive Mechanism also highlight poor detention conditions in both formal and informal settings–with limited access to health care remaining a particular concern–and vulnerable groups including children remain at risk of detention. […]
Libya: EU Plans in Eastern Libya Threaten Increased “Pullbacks” and Detentions
Amidst growing numbers of irregular departures from eastern Libya towards the Greek islands of Gavdos and Crete, internal EU documents reveal plans to collaborate with the country’s de facto leader Gen. Khalifa Haftar to intercept irregularly departing migrants. The plans could significantly expand Libya’s migrant “pullbacks,” leading to more people being stranded in the country’s […]
Cyprus: Stepped Up Efforts to Return Non-Nationals During EU Council Presidency
In recent weeks, Cypriot authorities have stepped up nationwide enforcement raids targeting irregular and undocumented migrants resulting in dozens of detentions and deportations. These events are part of the country’s wider focus on stepping up the return of non-nationals to their countries of origin–something that the country also seeks to prioritise during its Presidency of […]
Cameroon: Another Third-Country Removal Scheme Ending with Detention
This year, the Trump administration has quietly deported seventeen men and women to Cameroon under a murky arrangement that is part of broader U.S. efforts to send “unremovable” migrants and asylum seekers to third countries. Upon arrival in the capital Yaoundé, the deportees were reportedly detained and threatened with removal to their countries of origin. […]
GUEST POST: Poland – More Migrant Children To Be Detained Following Controversial Legislative Changes
Immigration detention of asylum-seeking unaccompanied children became legally permissible in Poland in January 2026 as a result of a 2025 amendment to Poland’s Law on International Protection. The Polish government insists that the amendment, which was adopted without public consultations, will help keep children safe despite the fact that it contravenes Poland’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as EU and domestic law. […]
EU: New Return Regulation Threatens to Significantly Expand Detention, Warn UN Special Procedures
In a communication to the European Commission, European Parliament, and Council of the European Union, 16 UN Special Procedure mandate holders have raised alarm over the risks posed by the EC’s proposed Return Regulation, expressing serious doubts about its compatibility with international human rights obligations. […]
Thailand: Detention and Coerced Returns of Vietnamese Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Thailand has ramped up the detention of Vietnamese migrants with reports indicating that Vietnamese officials have been given access to Thai detention facilities to coerce detainees to return. These practices, alongside high-profile cases of extradition and arbitrary detention of asylum seekers, reveal persistent breaches of human rights norms despite the fact that Thailand remains a UN Network on Migration “champion country” for implementation of the Global Compact for Migration. […]
Australia: UN Experts Raise Serious Concerns Regarding Country’s Migrant Detention System
In December, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention delivered a sobering assessment of Australia’s immigration detention system, highlighting numerous policies that call into question the country’s adherence to international human rights obligations. […]
