Religious leaders call on Home Secretary to put a time limit on immigration detention

Religious leaders including Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner have today issued a joint public statement calling on the Home Secretary to use her post-Brexit immigration bill to end the Government’s use of indefinite detention – calling it “unjust, ineffective and inhumane”.

Senior representatives of the Church of England, Catholic Church, Muslim Council of Britain, Hindu Council, Sikh Federation, Reform Judaism and others have urged the Government to include a 28-day limit on in the forthcoming bill, which will establish the UK’s post-Brexit immigration system.

Their statement reads:

“The UK is the only European country without a statutory time limit on immigration detention. The routine use of indefinite detention is unjust, ineffective and inhumane. Evidence shows that it causes huge harm – not only to those detained, but to their family, children, friends and community.

“The time to act is now. We urge the Government to put some fairness, decency and due process into our immigration system and urgently put a 28-day time limit on detention.”

Read more about the statement and immigration detention here.

Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner said: “The UK is the only European country without a statutory time limit on immigration detention. The routine use of indefinite detention is unjust, ineffective and inhumane. Evidence shows that it causes huge harm – not only to those detained, but to their family, children, friends and community.

“The time to act is now. We urge the Government to put some fairness, decency and due process into our immigration system and urgently put a 28-day time limit on detention.”