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The World Day of Migrants and Refugees is celebrated every year on the last Sunday of September, providing an opportunity for people across our community of faith to pray for those compelled to leave their homes to find safety and sanctuary.
Earlier this week (Tuesday 19), Kate Eves, Chair of The Brook House Inquiry, published a report into the mistreatment of people detained at the Immigration Removal Centre near Gatwick Airport - within our Diocese. Immigration detention is the practice of holding people who are subject to immigration control in custody, while they wait for permission to enter the UK or before they are removed from the country. Unlike most other European countries, there is no time limit on immigration detention in the UK.
The Brook House Inquiry Report has been presented to Parliament and can downloaded - in three volumes - on the Brook House Enquiry Report page. Chair Kate Eves writes:
"This is an important report, reflecting as it does on the events at Brook House in 2017, what has changed and, most importantly of all, what further change is still needed to ensure that such events are not repeated... When I was commissioned to conduct this Inquiry, the use of immigration detention was falling and a number of immigration removal centres had been closed. The government has made clear its intention to expand the use of immigration detention... My Report comes as the latest in a long line of reports and investigations into immigration detention – many, with depressing regularity, making broadly similar findings and recommendations. It has long since been time to act on recommendations, rather than simply keep repeating them."
The charity Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWG) supports people being held in immigration detention at Brook House, and has previously benefitted from grants from the diocesan Refugee Crisis Fund. Commenting on the publication of the Brook House Report, GDWG's Director, Anna Pincus, said:
“This is the first Public Inquiry to examine immigration detention in the UK... For over 25 years, GDWG volunteer visitors have supported people in detention and witnessed their suffering. The report highlights that a culture of change must prevail and that in view of the impact of the indefinite nature of detention, ‘those detained at IRCs, including Brook House, should only be kept there for a maximum of 28 days.’
"GDWG has emphasised the human costs of indefinite detention for many years and welcomes the Public Inquiry Report finding that ‘it was clear from the evidence of detained people, those who worked at Brook House, NGOs, and inspection and monitoring bodies that indefinite detention caused uncertainty, frustration and anxiety for detained people, with a negative impact on their health and wellbeing’ and ‘contributed to conditions where mistreatment could occur more easily.’ The Inquiry could not have made the case for an end to indefinite detention more strongly."
You can read GDWG's statement in full on their website.
When people leave their homes to seek safety and sanctuary in another country, they apply for asylum - everyone has the right to seek asylum in another country. A person applying for asylum must demonstrate that their home country is not a safe place for them to remain, which can be very difficult to prove. Half of the world’s refugees are children, many of whom take flight without the protection of parents or adult family members.
Pope Francis has challenged world leaders to do more to protect refugees and migrants, insisting that they should be treated with respect, and helped at every stage of their journey. In his 2023 message to mark the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees the Pope said:
"The synodal path that we have undertaken as a Church leads us to see in those who are most vulnerable – among whom are many migrants and refugees – special companions on our way, to be loved and cared for as brothers and sisters. Only by walking together will we be able to go far and reach the common goal of our journey."
