Man Dies at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre

A protester communicates with those inside at the perimeter fence of Brook House immigration removal centre beside Gatwick Airport, south of London on June 12, 2022 Niklas Halle'n/AFP via Getty Images

A man has died while being held at the Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick Airport.

A security company that manages and operates the facility on behalf of the Home Office has reported that a 26-year-old man died at Brook House on Sunday.

The immigration removal centre, managed by Serco, opened in March 2009 and has the capacity to hold 448 adult male residents. A public inquiry into the facility, published in September last year, concluded that migrants had been subjected to abuse.

The report found the safeguarding system at Brook House to be “dysfunctional,” exposing vulnerable people to actual harm. The inquiry recorded incidents when inappropriate force was used to manage incidents of self-harm and mental health crises.

In November 2023, a 37-year-old Albanian man died while detained at Brook House, after attempting suicide.

Chair of the Brook House Inquiry, Kate Eves said that “the events that occurred at Brook House cannot be repeated.”

The government had agreed to implement only one of 33 recommendations by the inquiry, and last month Eves called for a “reset” on an “inadequate” government response.

The Home Office had previously said it is “committed to ensuring safety and security in all immigration removal centres and to learn lessons from Brook House to ensure these events never happen again.”

‘Prison Architecture’

Paying tribute to the man who died on Sunday, the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group, said in an X post: “On the death of a man in detention yesterday we send heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and everyone who knew and loved him.”

The group that supports people affected by immigration called Brook House “prison architecture” and said “no one should take their last breath there.”

“We mourn that a young man died before he could be free,” it said.

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, called on the government to bring “humanity to the immigration system.”

“We despair at reports that yet another person has died in the Brook House detention centre. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and the fellow detainees affected by this tragedy too.

“Brook House has gained notoriety for violence, racism and abuse. What part this may have in this man’s death we do not yet know, but these degradations derive from a wider failure to make a system respect human dignity and rights,” said Valdez-Symonds.

Under immigration rules, people without legal permission to stay in the UK can be detained to help with their return. Some may also be detained to confirm their identity or if there’s a risk they might try to avoid authorities.

In the 12 months before June, 18,918 people entered immigration detention, with Albanian nationals accounting for just over one-third (35 percent) of entries. The vast majority of people are detained in the immigration detention estate rather than prisons.

‘Continuing Failings’

Immigration removal centres at Gatwick (Gatwick IRC) also include Tinsley House, which is located about half a mile from Brook House and can house up to 162 male residents.

Doctors working in both facilities are required to report to the Home Office any cases where a person is likely to be harmed due to suicide.

A report by the Gatwick Independent Monitoring Board, which monitors Gatwick IRC, found “continuing failings” in this area. It found that safety in both Brook House and Tinsley House has deteriorated over the course of 2023.

“A disproportionate burden of the care of men with serious mental ill health falls on officers who are not trained or adequately supported to manage such complex needs,” the document said.

In the board’s view, the centres’ healthcare departments have failed to fully address concerns raised by the Brook House Inquiry.

The report recommended that any use of force should be risk-assessed on a case-by-case basis.

PA Media contributed to this report.