Protestors block van at Loughborough immigration centre over reports of asylum seeker detained in Rwanda operation

Members of several human rights groups blocked a van outside Loughborough’s Immigration Reporting Centre today (Tuesday, April 30) in opposition to the government's plans to detain asylum seekers ahead of their deportation to Rwanda. Protestors claimed that a Syrian man today had been detained at the Loughborough centre and they believed he was being transported in the vehicle to a detention centre.

Leicestershire Police were called to the scene after the van was blocked. Officers were then asked by protestors to look inside and see if a Syrian man was being held. One police officer who looked inside said he was given assurances by the Home Office enforcement officers in the van that no detained asylum seekers were being moved. After the police officer told the protestors he believed no detainees were being transported, they then moved and let the van leave the car park.

Today is the second day of similar action by activists after the Guardian revealed on Sunday night that the Home Office planned to start detaining asylum seekers as early as Monday - far earlier than expected - before they are put on planes to Rwanda. In what the Guardian called a "major operation", officials planned to hold people who turn up for routine appointments at reporting centres - like the one in Loughborough - and take them directly to detention centres that have been prepared for their arrival while they await their deportation.

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The news of the operation led to activists from Care4Calais, Leicester Stand Up To Racism and Nottingham Stand Up To Racism, among other groups, to take action at the Loughborough centre; it is one of 13 immigration reporting centres across the country, and the only one in the East Midlands. In a similar protest at the same location yesterday (Monday, April 29), they blocked a van to ensure that no detained asylum seekers could leave.

The protestors moved out of the way after they were convinced no asylum seekers were in the tinted van. Leicestershire Police said they spoke with protestors yesterday to “ensure they were able to carry out a peaceful protest” and confirmed Monday no criminal offences were committed at the protest.

Richard Buckwell (72) is a volunteer for Care4Calais. He explained why the groups had gathered for a second day.

He said: “The problems in this country aren’t to do with asylum seekers, in fact they are a part of the solution. We have a health service crying out for extra staff and work.

“They [the Home Office] have announced they have started detaining people across the country. There are groups like these giving advice to asylum seekers and emergency numbers in case they are detained.”

Martin Morgan (70), who was born in Leicester but now lives in Nottingham, told LeicestershireLive why he was protesting. He said: “Because I believe that all human beings should be treated as human beings.

“The anti-migrant policy, especially of the current government, is completely misconceived, inhumane, ludicrously expensive and utterly counterproductive. Migrants come to countries to do work, they do not try to come to countries where there is no work and there is lots of work here for people to do.

“Especially when over 9 million people of working age are off work for one reason or another. And unfortunately some political parties think there are votes to be won by creating resentment rhetoric rather than looking for solutions.

“My solution is to enable migrants to come to this country especially where their applications can be examined speedily and if they have a case they should be integrated into the system as soon as possible. The proof that this system works is the amount of Ukrainians that are working here."

Linda Walker (68) had come from Long Eaton, in Derbyshire, to protest. She said: “They [asylum seekers] are coming here for quite different reasons, they are coming here from persecution and torture. I know them personally as I have worked at one of the hotels in Long Eaton, I have heard their stories.

“We have a responsibility as a society to find asylum for these people and what is happening at the moment is not who we are as a society. We are a country who welcomes people who are fleeing from persecution.

“Now with this government we are determined to turn people against asylum seekers for their political gain. There are a lot of people who come to this country to come to work and fill up jobs in the health service.

“You are very likely to be cared for by somebody who has come from another country in the social care industry. Indigenous people just do not want to do those jobs.

“We have problems in the hospitality industry where people do not want to do those jobs. That is, I think, a different issue.

“The issue for the asylum seekers is that they are not necessarily going to be useful for the economy, that shouldn’t be our reason for giving them asylum. We should be a society that cares about people.”

At the time of writing, it is unclear exactly when the Home Office plans to start detaining asylum seekers. In a statement it said it could not comment further on “operational activity.”

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “Now that the Safety of Rwanda Act has passed and our Treaty with Rwanda has been ratified, Government is entering the final phase of operationalising this landmark policy to tackle illegal migration and stop the boats. At some stage inevitably this will include detaining people in preparation for the first flight, which is set to take off to Rwanda in 10-12 weeks.

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