A scathing report has uncovered that vulnerable migrants held in UK detention centres are routinely subjected to handcuffing and prolonged restraint, with force being used as a default measure rather than a last resort.
Systemic Use of Force Against Vulnerable People
The investigation by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), published on Wednesday 26 November 2025, found that immigration staff are largely disregarding guidelines that stipulate force and restraints should only be used as a last resort. The report documented that force was disproportionately used against individuals recorded as vulnerable.
One shocking case involved a 70-year-old man, described as small and frail, who was handcuffed during a hospital visit despite having no history of being disruptive. In another instance, a man was subjected to rigid bar cuffs, a waist-restraint belt, and thigh and ankle restraints for over four and a half hours.
The IMB also found that healthcare staff were not notified quickly enough when force was used. In a particularly alarming case, it took staff more than four hours to inform medics that a man had been restrained, even though he had been banging his head repeatedly on a wooden bed frame.
Disturbing Incidents and Lack of Oversight
The report details several harrowing accounts of mistreatment. One man, deemed at risk of self-harm or suicide, was restrained during a transfer from a detention centre to an airport for deportation. During the journey, he removed his trousers and was carried naked from the waist down onto the aircraft, soiling himself.
Escorting staff then took turns kneeling or standing on the seat in front of him to push his head against his own seat. In a separate case, an enforcement officer threatened a detained migrant with pain, and a subsequent review of the incident failed to acknowledge this threat. In yet another breach of protocol, a staff member who used force against a migrant then conducted the review of the incident themselves.
One migrant, named Said, who was returned to France under the UK’s treaty, described a brutal experience. He told the charity Medical Justice: "[Enforcement staff] started to open their bags and take out four different belts and they started to forcefully use them and tie me. They banged my head against the wall several times while I was screaming in pain." He added that a belt became stuck around his throat, making him feel he was going to die.
Warnings That Lessons Have Not Been Learned
Elisabeth Davies, the IMB national chair, stated: "The findings of this report are deeply concerning. For the use of force to be lawful, it must be necessary, reasonable, proportionate and justifiable, but what we are seeing is a system where restraint has become routine, oversight is weak, and the dignity of detained individuals is too often disregarded."
She warned that the Home Office is not doing enough to prevent past failures from recurring, specifically referencing the Brook House inquiry. That inquiry was launched after a 2017 Panorama investigation uncovered abuse by immigration staff at the Gatwick facility.
Kate Eves, who chaired the Brook House inquiry, told The Independent: "Two years after the findings of the statutory inquiry into abuse at Brook House, it is extremely concerning to see the same issues being identified." She said the report suggests that, despite reassurances, lessons have not been learned.
A spokesperson for Medical Justice accused the Home Office of having "an inexcusable disregard for the safety of vulnerable people in its care."
A Home Office spokesperson responded, saying: "We will carefully consider the findings in the report. The Home Office reviews all incidents of use of force to ensure that techniques are used proportionately." This statement came alongside an announcement from the home secretary regarding sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration.
