The majority are illegally
invading the country and are not asylum seekers. I don't think that they should be treated badly but they should be returned to their safe countries. Its costing the UK money that they don't have to support this invasion of fit young men,
Anyone and everyone should be safeguarded.
Even our worst awful criminals are afforded an element of safety.
Sadly, given the ill feeling and aggressive and violence language used by far too many towards Asylum Seekers, this doesn’t surprise me in the least.
My personal feelings are that this is shameful.
But when I look around our country, particularly since Brexit, the level of hatred and vitriolic attitudes towards certain groups, whilst shameful and shocking, it’s not a surprise.
It’s encourage by Restore and Reform and Yaxley-Lennon, and now these Patriots and Pink Ladies.
What on earth has happened to humanity?
If I had my way I’d happily select the aforementioned groups, ship them off to Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Iran, for a long long holiday, on a single ticket and let them make their own way back, ending with a little trip across the channel in a blow up boat.
TheatreLover
F
Sorry, this post was accidental.
F
Idk if they deserve it but they should be kept safe from harm just as our own citizens should be kept safe from harm.
I see and read about the negative feelings towards asylum seekers.
I accept some custody officers may be "undisciplined". I do not accept health care professionals- doctors and nurses should ever be "undisciplined" Their professional code of conduct ( my code of conduct) is specifically to treat patients/clients with respect and safeguard them at all times, and uphold the reputation of the profession. I accept not all do this all the time, every time but should be held to account when their behaviour falls below professional standards.
I do expect health service providers, prisons, immigration detention centres etc to have systems and procedures in place to pick up abuse and injuries and have a healthy culture of safety and respect. I do expect governments to ensure this happens.
But mostly I guess, despite all the problems this country faces, and despite or even because of political divisions with regards to immigrants- that hope we can try to ensure asylum seekers are treated with respect and compassion at all times and kept safe, even when awaiting deportation.
It's not surprising. When you realise how much bad feeling there is towards asylum seekers then some of their guards probably feel the same.
Unfortunately this will result in physical harm towards them by undisciplined people who should know better.
Whitewavemark2
I very much hope this isn’t true.
What a shameful thing.
I expect it is. We don't know the half of it. Many things are hushed up.
OldFrill
Are you Diane Taylor?
Who is Dianne Taylor?
I can't comment on current situation in detention centres Casdon. But I was involved in chairing Serious misconduct cases when some health professionals were earlier referred to their healthcare regulator. I had hoped the public enquiry, some years ago now, had lead to improvements in immigration detention centres across the board since 2017.
In my case experience then, Serious Incident Reports were not always completed. The harm/abuse the asylum seekers sustained was not as a result of other migrants in the detention facility but caused directly by the custody staff. Complaints made by the asylum seekers of the treatment and/or injuries they received were not always recorded or acted upon. The harm they received was not properly treated or documented by the health professionals in all circumstances. I read detainee medical records provided as evidence. The BBC under cover reported film footage at Brook House captured directly who caused the harm and abuse- i.e. staff. Witness statements of other employees provided evidence they were aware this went on and witnessed directly on occasion but feared speaking out. The asylum seekers had in effect become dehumanised to some staff ( not all staff) - ie a belief the ASs were not deserving of appropriate care and treatment.
The BBC undercover reported filmed such events at Brook House. The BBC had been contacted by a whistle blower.
It does happen- see BBC Panorama programme " Undercover Britain's Immigration Secrets". An undercover reporter worked as a custody officer wearing a secret camera for months to expose conditions inside Brooke House, Immigration Removal Centre near Gatwick airport in 2017- some 9 years ago. Footage showed abuse and violence, both physical and emotional and a toxic culture.
This lead to The Brook House Public enquiry- an independent investigation of allegations of inhuman and degrading treatment at Brook House. It identified systemic problems with healthcare provision, a failure of clinical safeguards and a "culture of dehumanisation"- noting that medical services sometimes failed to identify vulnerable detainees, torture survivors and mental ill individuals.
So not new, not recent. Does this culture prevail is one question. However the anti asylum seeker rhetoric has grown since 2017 and become much more political.
It seems to be that detainees should be cared for and safeguarded whist awaiting processing of their asylum claim and whilst awaiting deportation if their application is not granted - but am I in the minority I wonder.
What we don’t know from this account is whether the returned migrants were either trouble makers or bullied by other migrants or other people in the community where they were housed, so were selected for early return, or if they were mistreated by officials. I hope names and details are made available, there shoukd be records if either of the former two scenarios happened.
The evidence compiled by SSP has been submitted to the French Assembly’s cross-party inquiry into the impact of the Anglo-French border deals known as Le Touquet agreements- so we await to see what happens next....
I very much hope this isn’t true.
What a shameful thing.
Are you Diane Taylor?
Is the UK in danger of losing empathy for those seeking asylum whilst their claims are being processed? French health service documents injuries including fractures and bruising after detention and return under ‘one in one out’ scheme
.
The pilot scheme involves one asylum seeker who crosses the Channel in a small boat being returned to France in return for another in northern France being legally brought to the UK to claim asylum. The scheme is due to end on 1 October.
Samusocial de Paris (SSP) has been commissioned by Île-de-France’s regional health agency to provide healthcare for asylum seekers returned to France in the first eight days after their deportation from the UK, when they are accommodated in a shelter in Paris.
They have documented the cases of 90 returnees between 22 January and 7 June 2026. All are young men, mostly in their 20s and early-30s, who sought sanctuary in the UK after fleeing a variety of conflict zones including Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan. About 1,400 people have been forcibly removed to France by the Home Office since the scheme began in August 2025.
The evidence compiled by SSP has been submitted to the French Assembly’s cross-party inquiry into the impact of the Anglo-French border deals known as Le Touquet agreements. This evidence comes from their own clinical consultations with returnees and some hospital reports from those sent to A&E.
According to the report: “Consultations are revealing signs consistent with recent physical and psychological violence as well as the consequences of prolonged detention in conditions described as particularly degrading.” It states that the physical and psychological conditions documented are “explicitly linked to the implementation of the France-British agreement”.
The report adds: “The frequency and recurrence of the incidents reported by people transferred under the Franco-British agreement appear particularly worrying.”
SSP recommends that a mechanism should be established to collect information on allegations of mistreatment by the British authorities that can be sent to the UK. It also suggests reporting this issue to the French prosecutor under article 40 of the French code of criminal procedure.
Nihal Osman, a programme coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières, which also provides health support for this group of returnees, said: “This one in one out agreement is a machine for psychological destruction. The deeply concerning physical injuries sustained whilst in detention in the United Kingdom, which we have documented among those deported, must be viewed in the light of a serious psychological deterioration.”
The UK Home Office and the company Mitie, which provides the guards for the asylum seekers, have been approached for comment.
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join the discussion, watch threads and lots more.
Register now »Already registered? Log in with:
Gransnet »Get our top conversations, latest advice, fantastic competitions, and more, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
