Yesterday, Refugee Week 2025 came to a close (16–22 June). To help continue the awareness raised during this time, Beyond Detention is calling on everyone to remember the positive and lasting impact that refugees and migrants have, nationally and across Bedford.
Our town is rightly proud of its heritage and history, and the diversity of our population greatly enhances our community. For example, during the 1950s and 1960s, over 7,500 Italians came to Bedford, and now one in every five Bedfordians can trace their heritage to an Italian family.
In the wake of the Prime Minister’s recent speech referring to Britain becoming “an island of strangers”, we feel it is more important than ever to remember that “we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.” (Jo Cox, 2015)
Divisive rhetoric from government and mainstream media, along with the continuing “hostile environment” policy of successive governments, has led many of the people we support at Beyond Detention to feel unwelcome and scapegoated.
“When I came to the UK, I was told people are welcome, but life is not easy here. I am always alone.”
The riots and far-right violence we witnessed last August across the country cannot happen again. People coming here to seek sanctuary, fleeing war or persecution, should not be demonised and attacked.
The constant focus on “small boat crossings” leads the public to believe that immigration is a bad thing.
Yet 77% of people who arrived in small boats between 2018 and March 2024 and who subsequently claimed asylum have had their claims accepted by the Home Office, and been granted leave to remain. (People crossing the English Channel in small boats – Migration Observatory – The Migration Observatory)
Over the past two years, we have seen an increase in the number of people detained at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). Yet, in 2023, 61% of people were released from immigration detention in the UK rather than returned, begging the question, “Why were they detained in the first place?”
And, in the financial year 2023-24, the Home Office issued 838 compensation payments for unlawful detention, totalling around £12 million. That’s taxpayers’ money, paid in compensation to people who should never have been detained.
Everyone we meet in Yarl’s Wood IRC has their own story. We want to share just a few with you:
Danielle, who suffered from dementia and epilepsy, was married to a British man. She had been living with him legally in the UK since 2016, but due to personal circumstances, he had forgotten to renew her visa in 2023; therefore, she was classified as an “overstayer”, arrested and taken to Yarl’s Wood IRC.
The Home Office told us she was “barrier-free to removal”, despite a doctor’s recommendation that she was not fit to fly.
Chloe was a college student from the USA, visiting London as part of her “European Grand Tour”.
She had a valid tourist visa, but the Home Office raided the hostel she was staying in and claimed she was working illegally; they arrested her and took her to Yarl’s Wood IRC. She was still wearing her pyjamas and slippers when she arrived.
Martin came to the UK from a European country with his mother and sister when he was 5 years old. He attended school here, secured a job, got married, and had two children.
However, he never applied for “Settled Status”, so when he was arrested 32 years later for a minor offence, following a short custodial sentence, he was detained in Yarl’s Wood and subsequently deported to a country where he knew no one.
On his first night there, he slept on a park bench.
Sofia had lived in the UK for twelve years, legally, and had constantly re-applied for her work visa in plenty of time. However, when she fell in love and got married, she applied for a spousal visa instead.
Due to the backlog of cases, the visa was not processed before her work visa expired, and she was taken from her home one evening up to Yarl’s Wood and detained. She spent the whole of the first night crying.
Mandeep came to the UK to study a PhD, and had a valid student visa. However, he moved into different accommodation during the year so was unaware the Home Office had written to him asking him for further information.
He was detained when he left class one day and taken to Yarl’s Wood.
If you would like to find out more about Beyond Detention and the work we do supporting refugees, migrants and those seeking asylum, please visit our website at beyonddetention.org.
(All the names have been changed to protect their privacy)
Written by Sam Price
Chief Executive Officer
Beyond Detention
