Border points in London and the South East

Below is some information on some 'border points' in the London and South East areas. For information about those in other parts of the country, see Britain's Detention Estate.

1. Becket House (London)
2. Communications House (London)
3. Colnbrook IRC and STHF (Heathrow, London)
4. Harmondsworth IRC and STHF (Heathrow, London)
5. Heathrow Airport (Queen's Building and Terminals 1-4)
6. Gatwick Airport (South and North Terminals)
7. Tinsley House (Gatwick, West Sussex)
8. London City Airport
9. Lunar House (Croydon)
10. Electric House (Croydon)
11. ID Interview Centre (Crawley)
12. XL Airways (Crawley)

Becket House (London)

Becket House is the Border and Immigration Agency's 'enforcement unit' for South-East London and the local reporting centre for people whose asylum applications are being processed. Thousands of people subject to immigration controls are forced to come here on a regular basis, weekly in most cases now, to 'sign on'. This now involves finger-printing and reactivating their biometric ID cards. There is no reason for all this hardship and humiliation other than the immigration authorities' will to make life harder for asylum seekers so that they give up and leave, as well as 'deterring' others from coming here.

The centre is provided with a so-called non-residential Short-Term Holding Facility (STHF), where people who have been detained while reporting or those 'snatched' in so-called enforcement operations are held until they are transferred to one of the proper detention centres.

The place is run by Group 4 Securicor (G4S), which is contracted by the BIA to run most STHFs in the country and is also the main detainee escort service provider.

Communications House (London)

Communications House is the BIA's reporting and enforcement centre for north London. It has a small non-residential 'holding facility' where people are detained for up to a few days pending transfer. The building also houses Immigration Service enforcement staff, who snatch rejected asylum seekers due to be deported in dawn raids.

Detainees there reportedly have no access to a telephone to let legal representatives or family know what had happened to them or to ask them to bring belongings prior to transfer or removal. There is no formal child protection policy or thorough health and safety and self-harm risk assessments.

The centre, which is also run by G4S, has become a focal point for anti-detention protests in London.

Colnbrook IRC and STHF (Heathrow, London)

Colnbrook immigration prison (or Immigration Removal Centre, as the official euphemism goes) opened in August 2004 as the most secure in the immigration detention estate, following the 'disturbance' at Yarl’s Wood IRC in February 2002. The centre has much of the characteristics of a category B prison and holds many ex-prisoners as well as a number of detainees who have been regarded 'disruptive' elsewhere. For other detainees, it is likely to be the last stop before removal, being located near Heathrow Airport.

The centre is run by Premier Prison Services, which is owned by multi-national service company Serco, and has a capacity of 273. There are 4 'residential units' which 'house' 66 detainees in double-occupancy rooms. The 'secure unit' can hold 6 detainees under Rule 42 of the Detention Centre Rules (temporary confinement) and 10 on removal from association under Rule 40.

Many detainees at Colnbrook have reported feeling "unsafe". In April 2006, over 150 detainees in Colnbrook went on hunger strike in protest at their inhumane treatment by security guards during the No Borders demonstration earlier. The hunger strikers were subjected to repression from Colnbrook’s management, with one detainee, deemed to be the 'organiser' of the protest, locked in confinement then later removed to another detention centre.

Colnbrook also has a 'short-term holding facility' (STHF), with a capacity of 40 places. Unlike the IRC, however, which takes only men, the STHF takes men and women. Many of those arriving there had been transferred from IRCs around the country for 'removal' from Heathrow. Detainees picked up locally are also held while awaiting a decision about what should happen to them. Detainees could be held for up to five days, or seven if removal was imminent.

The 40 single rooms all have integral sanitation and occupants are locked up most of the time, without the opportunity or facilities to associate together. The lack of information and independent advice for people facing deportation are among the usual criticisms by the Chief Inspector of Prisons.

Harmondsworth IRC and STHF (Heathrow, London)

Harmondsworth is the largest of the UK's detention centres, holding around 500 men. Up to 2,000 people pass through its reception area each month. Most would spend a short time there, though some have spend months and even years.

Harmondsworth opened in September 2001 and closed in mid-2004 following a major riot sparked by the death of a detainee. It reopened in October 2004, contracted to UK Detention Service (UKDS), which is owned by multi-national giant Sodexho and has recently renamed itself Kalyx. Extensive building work has been undertaken since 2003, including the installation of a sprinkler system following the fire at Yarl's Wood detention centre. Originally holding families and single men and women, it now holds single male adults only.

The centre is made up of two-, three- and four-bedded rooms, as well as 20 single 'secure rooms' to hold detainees removed from normal location in accordance with Detention Centre Rule 40 (removal from association), and 6 for detainees confined under rule 42 (temporary confinement).

Over the years, Harmondsworth has witnessed many cases of self-harm and suicide, hunger strikes and riots. On 28 November, 2006, detainees started a riot in Wing B after a guard switched off the TV preventing them from watching a report about Harmondsworth on the 10 o'clock news. Some detainees were reportedly been beaten up by guards, while others were kept locked in, with fires and smoke all over the place. 11 people were arrested on suspicion of 'violent disorder'. Kalyx was fined £5m for a series of 'performance failures'.

In July 2006, in what was described as the "poorest report ever issued on an IRC", the Chief Inspector of Prisons had said: "At the heart of the centre's problems were the relationships between custody officers and detainees, together with an over-emphasis on physical security – which was more appropriate to a high security prison than a removal centre run under rules that require 'secure and humane detention under a relaxed regime'."

Heathrow Airport (Queen's Building and Terminals 1-4)

Heathrow, the busiest airport in the world, also handles the greatest number of forced deportations from the UK. The Home Office's Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) has five 'short-term holding facilities' (STHFs) at the airport, one at each of the four terminals and a removals holding room at Queen's Building.

Nearly all those detained at the four terminals are passengers who have just arrived at Heathrow. They are detained by immigration officers pending further investigation on whether to allow them to enter the country or, if they were refused entry, pending removal on the next available return flight. The purpose of the 'holding room' at Queen’s Building is to hold men, women and children arriving from other places of detention, including prisons, who are due to be 'removed' from Heathrow Airport.

Queen's Building, one of the airport's older blocks, was originally the administration, restaurant and viewing building. It is located beside Terminal 2, which was Heathrow's first terminal. The 'holding facility', with a capacity of 15 persons, was developed in what is still an administrative corridor. The other 'holding rooms' are airside in Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4 and consist of a single holding area, staff office and toilets.

All five facilities, run by Group 4 Securicor Ltd (G4S), are non-residential, with no provision for people to sleep there or for prolonged detention. Yet, people have been held overnight and, in some case, for more than one day.

Gatwick Airport (South and North Terminals)

The UK's second-busiest airport also sees a fair deal of forced removals and arrests of migrants every day, with many immigration 'facilities' in place: two short-term 'holding centres' (one at each terminal), a detention centre (Tinsley House) and another planned detention centre (Brook House) to be opened in 2008. In early 2007, Gatwick became the first UK airport testing biometric face recognition.

Gatwick South opened in 1958 and Gatwick North opened as the airport's second terminal in 1988. Like the airport, the short-term detention facilities located at both terminals operate around the clock, holding passengers under investigation or refused entry and awaiting removal on the next flight. Some detainees also arrive from within the country in order to be 'removed' from Gatwick. The 'facilities' are managed on behalf of the BIA by G4S, while the property belongs to the British Airports Authority (BAA).

Although the facilities are not suitable for anything but the shortest stay, the time spent in both Gatwick centres, particularly Gatwick North, has increased recently due to pressure on the immigration detention estate elsewhere. In the words of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, "these facilities are not acceptable for overnight stay and should not be used for that purpose." Further, both facilities continue to hold men and women in the same room and, sometimes, no female detainee custody officers are available.

Tinsley House (Gatwick, West Sussex)

Opened in 1996, Tinsley House was the first UK purpose-built detention centre. In 2001, it also became the first centre to hold families. It has a capacity to hold 146 men, women and children. Around 11,000 detainees go through the centre each year.

The so-called Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) is run by private contractor Global Solutions Ltd (GSL), which is owned by Engelfield Capital and Electra Partners Europe.

Another detention centre is being built at Gatwick Airport as part of the government's five-year strategy for asylum and immigration and its target of 4,000 detention places. Brook House is due to open in 2008 and will have a total capacity of 426 places for male and female detainees.

London City Airport

London City Airport deals primarily with European routes, including UK internal flights, and is open from 6.30am to 10.30pm on weekdays and reduced hours at weekends. It is used primarily by the business community and is experiencing an increase in traffic.

The airport is provided with a STHF run by G4S on behalf of BIA. During operating hours a minimum of two G4S detainee custody officers (DCOs) staff the facility.

Lunar House (Croydon)

Lunar House in Croydon houses the the headquarters of the Border and Immigration Agency and its principal asylum screening unit, where people go to make an asylum application. The massive twenty-storey office block has become synonymous with the BIA and is perceived by the British public as the front line of Britain's immigration service.

Many asylum applicants are detained there "in order to speed up the processing of their asylum claims." People are selected in accordance with certain criteria, including designated nationalities and, in many cases, they have no in-country right of appeal. This means they can be removed as soon as the asylum claim is refused.

The holding facility at Lunar House is used almost exclusively for the detention of asylum seekers, male and female, rather than other applicants attending Lunar House's public enquiry office. Most detainees are sent from Lunar House to one of the fast-track processing centres: Oakington, the so-called Immigration Reception Centre where asylum applicants are subjected to the new fast-track process; Harmondsworth's fast-track unit for single males; or Yarl’s Wood's fast-track unit for single females.

The smaller of the two 'holding rooms' in use at Lunar House, originally intended for families, is now occupied by adults. Lunar House also has a third 'secure unit', which is separate from the holding rooms and close to the escort vehicle access door. It is basically a single-occupancy cell containing only a platform bed and a toilet, as well as a call bell and a surveillance camera.

The 'holding facility' is run by G4S, with a minimum of two detainee custody officers on duty between 10am and 7pm five days a week, but more staff could be called and the holding room could be in use seven days a week. The average occupancy is between 6 and 7 detainees, of which almost a third are women. The highest occupancy rate in 2006 was 13, which was the capacity of the Oakington escort vehicle. The average duration of detention at Lunar House is allegedly just under two and a half hours but many people are known to have been held for much longer. Also, many people would have been queuing and sitting in the asylum screening unit within the building for a lot longer before being brought here.

Electric House (Croydon)

Electric House is Croydon's regional reporting centre, where people subject to immigration controls report at given intervals (mostly weekly nowadays). When their applications have been refused, they can be detained for removal when reporting to the centre. People detained elsewhere in the region, including families 'snatched' from their homes in dawn raids, could also be brought to Electric House by the 'snatch squads', which are based at Electric House too.

All detainees (men, women and children) are held in a single holding room. The average time detainees spent at Lunar House is around four hours, but some have spent 10 hours or longer waiting to be transferred elsewhere.

ID Interview Centre (Crawley)

People applying for new passports will have to attend a 20-minute face-to-face interview at a new office to be opened in Crawley (Belgrave House, Station Way) as part of the creeping move to state identity control in Britain. Asylum seekers have long been subject to a similar kind of ID's.

XL Airways (Crawley)

Charter airline XL Airways is a trading name for XL Airways UK Limited, which is owned by XL Leisure Group, the third largest tour operating group in the UK. Following a major re-brand in November 2006, the airline's name was changed from Excel Airways to XL. With a UK Civil Aviation Authority Type A operating licence, which permits it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats, the company provides short-haul and long-haul services to over 50 destinations in the Mediterranean, Europe, Africa and North America from 12 airports in the UK. XL Airways was chosen the "best charter airline in the world" for 2004 and 2005.

XL Airways were the owners of the plane that removed 21 children and 17 adults to DR Congo on 26 February, 2007. The charter flight, dubbed Operation Castor, then prompted UK-wide protests, including a picket at XL headquarters in Crawley, West Sussex.

Between February 2006 and June 2007, there have been over 100 charter flights to Afghanistan, Eastern Europe, Iraqi Kurdistan, DR Congo and Vietnam, removing over 2,300 refused asylum seekers from the UK. Last June alone, there were 4 charter flights to Eastern Europe and 3 to Afghanistan, in total removing 59 and 71 respectively.

Under a Freedom of Information Act request lodged by NCADC last June, the Information Commissioner revealed that the total Home Office expenditure to deport persons from the UK, via charter flights, with XL Airways for the year 2005/06 was £1,542,826.96. On 11 July, 2007, NCACD lodged another FoIA request asking for further details to the information released on 18 June regarding XL. The Home Office declined from answering saying they "do hold the further information you seek but it is not held by the Border and Immigration Agency in the format that you have requested." They did confirm, however, that "all flights with XL Airways were charter flights."

In August 2007, XL Airways threatened the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC) with legal action following the publication of an article on NCADC's website implying that XL might be operating a charter flight scheduled for 30 August to 'remove' a number of failed asylum seekers to DR Congo. XL accused NCADC of publishing "inaccurate information" and said the company does not currently have plans to operate the flight on 30 August. The threatening letter also stressed that XL "has not (nor does it currently) operate charter flights to Afghanistan." There was, however, no mention in the letter of Operation Aardvark, the name given to the regular deportation flights to Eastern Europe every Tuesday and Thursday.

In any case, the High Court ruled the halt of all deportations to DR Congo pending a 'country guidance' hearing in September – a rare victory in migrants' struggles.