On Monday Leigh Day & Co obtained orders from the High Court for the release of two Algerian nationals who have been held in long term immigration detention with no prospect of release. The two men had been detained for periods of 15 and 17 months following completion of short criminal sentences and pending deportation to Algeria.
However, despite wanting to return to Algeria and doing all they could do to assist in their return, the Algerian authorities have refused to issue them with travel documents to enable their return. Meanwhile the Home Office has refused to release them from detention and there seemed to be no end to their plight. Both men made numerous applications for bail to Immigration Judges which were refused time and again.
Caught in an Administrative black hole, their cases were picked up by the
London Detainee Support Group and
Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID), two organisations which provide invaluable support to the often forgotten people in immigration detention. Their cases were then referred to Leigh Day & Co who are involved in a pilot-project hosted by BID – the Habeas Corpus Project – which is seeking to provide access to the Courts for those in long-term immigration detention.
The High Court has now ruled that the men’s detention with no prospect of removal from the UK is unlawful.
These cases are just the tip of the iceberg in the scandal of long term immigration detention. The ruling opens the way for a significant number of other immigration detainees who have been deprived of their liberty for periods of months and years to now apply to the Court for release if the Home Office fails to act on this judgment.
For more information please contact
Jamie Beagent on 020 7650 1200.
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