Hundreds of people will spend the holidays locked in immigration detention, separated from loved ones and with no idea when they’ll be released.

Many are facing a major obstacle to regaining their freedom: the language barrier.

Too many people will spend the holiday season detained in prison-like conditions, separated from their loved ones. In the past year the Home Office detained more than 18,000 people, with no legal limit on how long most can be held.
 

Detention Action’s frontline casework service provides a lifeline to people in immigration detention by giving them expert practical and emotional support. Your donation will help make sure that people trapped in immigration detention get the help they urgently need in the coming year.
 

One in four of the people we supported in 2024 spoke little or no English. The government doesn't cover the cost of interpretation, so we train volunteer interpreters like Emma and use commercial interpretation services. That way, we can break down the language barrier that, otherwise, would leave people even more isolated.
 

Every donation makes a difference.

  • £10 can pay for a monthly phone top-up to help a person in detention contact family, friends and legal advice

  • £20 can pay for 25 minutes of interpretation by phone, allowing us to provide practical and emotional support in someone's first language

  • £65 can pay for a clinical supervision session for three to four people

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