Friends oppose detention centre plans
Friends in Oxford have joined others in expressing concern over plans for a local detention centre
Headington and Oxford Friends were among twenty-one signatories to a letter expressing concerns about government plans for the expansion of a local detention centre.
The planned expansion of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre involves building a three-storey block, to prison standards, on the same site. This would double the centre’s capacity.
The campaign is part of a larger concern about immigration detention and government policy, Headington Quaker Bridget Walker explained to the Friend. The action is supported not only by refugee and human rights organisations in the city but also by the main political parties, she added.
‘Like many Friends throughout the UK, we have a concern for refugees and migrants. We know, from years of work, how damaging life in detention can be. Rather than increasing the numbers in detention, the government should be exploring alternatives.’
Asked what Friends hoped to achieve from participation in the campaign, Bridget said: ‘If the expansion proposals are turned down or just postponed, this would be a positive step. We would like to see an end to indefinite detention and a just and compassionate approach to the strangers in our midst. This requires sustained work as we come up to an election in which immigration is seen as a political hot potato and politicians think they must act tough.’
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