WHY ARE PEOPLE DETAINED AT DUNGAVEL?
Immigration detainees can be asylum seekers whose claims are being investigated, and who are being detained because of a belief that they will disappear otherwise. They can be illegal immigrants or people who have overstayed their visas. Some are rejected asylum seekers awaiting removal. Some of them have criminal convictions and are being deported, and there are some overlaps between the categories. All are detained on the orders of an immigration officer. WHAT IS WRONG ABOUT DETENTION? On principle, nothing! That is, if you believe that Britain needs border control, and that border control needs immigration and asylum law, and that these laws should be upheld and enforced. Detention will always be a necessary element of such an immigration and asylum law enforcement programme. Detention is always going to be a necessary element of any law enforcement programme. What is wrong, however, is that the asylum appeals process is too slow, and people can consequently be detained for long per
