Unlike the rest of the UK, immigration detainees used to be detained within the Northern Ireland prison system and this gave cause for concern. Read more
Further Reading
Migration Observatory briefing, November 2013
Migration Observatory ‘policy primer’ on detention in the UK
Liz Griffith, Prison by another name in Frontline Social Welfare Law Quarterly, 81, Autumn 2011
Refugee Action Group (RAG) Distant Voices, Shaken Lives; Human Stories of Immigration Detention from Northern Ireland
NI Human Rights Commission Our Hidden Borders: The UK Border Agency’s Powers of Detention
Law Centre (NI) briefing on Operation Gull, 2008
Right to Remain (formerly the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns) online information on immigration detention
Crossing the Border EMBRACE Fact sheet
Why do people migrate?
People have moved from their home countries for centuries, for all sorts of reasons. Some are drawn to new places by ‘pull ‘ factors, others find it difficult to remain where they are and migrate because of ‘push’ factors. These have contributed to the recent movement of people here but are also the reason why people from here have emigrated to other countries. Read more
Migration terminology
Q Who is an immigrant?
A This term has been applied to all people coming into a country, but it is now often applied to people who intend to settle and integrate here, as opposed to being a more temporary migrant. It is important not to view people who are part of long-established minority-ethnic communities and populations as ‘immigrants’.
Inward migration today
There have always been incomers to Ireland, for political, economic and social reasons and in order to find sanctuary; there are just more today. Read more
How many people have come here recently?
It is estimated that around 175,000 long-term international migrants arrived in N Ireland between 2000 and 2014. Of these 143,000 left at some point and 32,000 remained. There are variations towards the end of this period. Because of the financial crisis and recession, between 2009 and 2013 more people left than arrived. There has been a small upturn recently, with 2,237 more people arriving than leaving between July 2013 and June 2014. Read more
