Closure of immigration detention centres
We have received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following: It is intended to close some immigration detention …
Details
We have received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following:
It is intended to close some immigration detention centres, each of which houses several hundred illegal immigrants. Please inform what will happen to the immigrants from the centres which close.
We released the following information on 1 October 2010.
It was accepted that Oakington Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) had reached and passed its lifespan expectancy and this, together with the uncertainty surrounding the future use of the site itself, prompted Phil Woolas to announce in May 2009 that the centre would be closed within 2 years.
The majority of the intake into the centre ceased on 28 August 2010 allowing time for a natural reduction in the numbers to take place. The last detainee will leave the centre on the 16 October 2010. G4S, the contractor responsible for operating the centre on behalf of the UK Border Agency, have until 12 November 2010 to clear and close the site.
UKBA have considered a number of options to absorb the loss of Oakington beds across the estate and these include the expansion to Harmondsworth IRC which has provided an additional 300 plus beds. There are no plans to close any other centres.