[Press Release] “One in, one out – but everyone loses”: AVID raises concern over the new governement policy

For Immediate Release

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‍“One in, one out – but everyone loses”: AVID raises concern over use of immigration detention system amid fresh government push for mass removals.

‍London, 5 August 2025 – The Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees (AVID) has raised serious concerns about the UK Government’s newly operational “one-in, one-out” policy, launched in tandem with a bilateral UK–France agreement on the “Prevention of Dangerous Journeys.”

AVID and our members have received credible reports that spaces were specifically being cleared in detention centres, particularly at Brook House IRC and other centres, to accommodate people targeted for removal to France. The policy enables the detention and return of individuals who arrive by 'small boat' — with France receiving people removed from the UK and the UK offering entry to others from France in return.

While framed as reciprocal, the process raises significant risks around human rights, legal access, and procedural fairness.

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A transactional system, a troubling precedent

The agreement between the UK and France, signed on 29–30 July 2025, formalises an “end-to-end” process for removals, aiming to 'transfer people within three months of arrival in the UK'. Detained individuals may be removed before any legal challenges, safeguarding assessments, or procedural safeguards are fully available.

‍“This policy is going to tear through lives with the clinical detachment of an accountancy spreadsheet," said Gee Manoharan, Co-Director of the Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees(AVID). "While the arrival of people on safe routes is welcome, the government’s model turns protection into a zero-sum game – where someone’s safety in the UK comes at the expense of someone else’s expulsion. This policy reduces safety to a transactional process, which runs counter to basic principles of protection and fairness."

The treaty explicitly outlines that removals can happen within 14 days of arrival and bars removals for people with active legal claims – but provides no guarantee that people will be given adequate time or support to file those claims in the first place. This lack of clarity creates uncertainty for people in detention, their families, friends or visitors and their legal representatives.

Lessons from the past: What’s likely to happen

Based on previous examples, including the Rwanda removal attempts in 2022, there is clear cause for concern. During that period, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found that:

“The Home Office held two poorly organised surgeries to inform detainees about the process, without using interpreters, and a pamphlet provided detainees with little useful information. Centre staff had not been well-informed about the operation, leaving them ill-prepared to support those affected.”

Furthermore, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found a sharp rise in suicidality and self-harm in detention centres following the announcement of the Rwanda removal policy in 2022 — a risk now repeating under this model.

Similar patterns are already beginning to emerge under the current policy. There is no information about how trauma, language needs, or legal complexities will be managed.

Disregarding inquiry findings and scaling known harm

The Brook House Inquiry (2023) found evidence of abuse, dehumanisation, and systemic failings in detention, and recommended that immigration detention be used only as a 'last resort.' Yet on 4 August 2025, the Home Secretary publicly stated that detention should now be the government’s default approach to managing immigration enforcement – a dangerous and deliberate rejection of the Inquiry’s recommendation and the rights-based protections it proposed.

This direction is not just inconsistent with past reviews — it is dangerous.

A personal warning:

"While I was in detention, I still remember the fear of being told to move, to pack, with no explanation, and a mountain of paperwork. That loss of control stays with you," said Gee Manoharan(Co-Director at AVID), who also has lived experience of immigration detention. "I saw the system chew people up and leave deep wounds. It’s a conveyor belt of harm. But the difference now is that the government is proudly scaling that harm. Detention is being normalised. Removals are happening faster. Rights are harder to access. One in, one out – but everyone loses. It is a high-speed pipeline to expulsion."

"What we’re witnessing is a wholesale rejection of the Brook House Inquiry’s recommendations. Instead of safeguarding people, they’re shifting them like parcels – cutting off access to lawyers and pushing vulnerable individuals deeper into isolation. This is a system that learned nothing. And people will be harmed if it doesn’t change"

AVID is calling for:

• An immediate pause and not to implement the “one-in, one-out”
• Publication of operational guidance, including timelines, legal access pathways, and notice periods
• A formal oversight mechanism for returns under the UK–France agreement, with regular reporting and independent scrutiny
• ‍Independent oversight and urgent implementation of Brook House Inquiry recommendations across the detention estate
• Immediate mental health and safeguarding reviews before any further removals proceed

Media Contact:

• Gee Manoharan
• Co-Director, AVID (Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees)
• Email: enquiries@aviddetention.org.uk
• Phone: 0207 281 0533

ENDS

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