Government pilots fast-track deportation of immigrant families

Following an announcement in May that child detention in immigration cases will be ended, the government launched a "wide-ranging review" of how the change will be implemented, with immigration minister Damian Green stating that plans would be set out "in the coming months".

A briefing document seen by CYP Now reveals that as part of the review, which began on 1 June, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) is undertaking two pilots looking at alternative ways of removing families from the country without using detention.

A pilot in the north west of England involves families being given two weeks to leave the country voluntarily once the appeals process has been exhausted.

"The family is then visited by UKBA and served with removal directions," the document states.

Details of the London pilot are not included.

Concerns over fast-track deportations were raised back in May when the policy of ending child detention was announced.

Jill Rutter, of the now defunct Refugee and Migrant Justice, spoke at the time of the announcement of fears that families could be scooped up in dawn raids and driven straight to the airport without notice of removal.

Sarah Campbell, research and policy manager at Bail for Immigration Detainees, described news of the pilot as worrying. "You need to think about the period of two weeks in the context of these families, on average, having spent five years in the UK," she said. "Two weeks notice is inadequate."

A UKBA spokesperson said: "The new government has been clear in its commitment to end the detention of children for immigration purposes. One of the first actions was to set up a review and this has already changed the UK Border Agency’s approach.

"We are focused on finding an alternative to detention that protects the welfare of children, without undermining our immigration laws."