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08/07/2011
Illlegal Immigrant Detention Centre Opens
A new short term holding centre to assist with the removal of illegal immigrants from Northern Ireland has been officially opened in the port of Larne.
The new centre, Larne House, is the first of its kind in NI and increases the capacity in the detention estate as the government intensifies enforcement activity across the UK.
The Co Antrim facility will only house adults with separate sleeping quarters for men and women.
Once operational, the former police custody suite, which has been tailored to meet UK Border Agency specifications, will accommodate a maximum of 21 illegal immigrants for a period of up to seven days in order to facilitate their removal from the UK.
The centre will hold foreign nationals caught illegally working in Northern Ireland, overstaying their visa as well as failed asylum seekers being removed from the UK.
Larne House gives the border agency the ability to detain people in Northern Ireland while their removal from the UK is being organised.
It also ensures that foreign national prisoners due for deportation are not allowed back into the community before they are removed.
Last year more than 16,500 people were removed from the UK directly from removal centres.
David Wood, Strategic Director of Criminality and Detention, UK Border Agency, said: "A tough system of enforcement and removal is one of the cornerstones of an effective immigration system.
"This new facility in Northern Ireland is a welcome addition to the UK Border Agency's estate and will help us remove more individuals who have no right to be here.
"We are reforming the system to make it more effective to ensure those with no right to be here are removed," he said.
The first detainees will be accepted into Larne House, next Monday, 11th July.
The opening of this new centre now means that the UK Border Agency can hold up to 3,400 people in detention across the UK at any one time. This will allow more foreign nationals with no right to be here to be removed from the UK in the coming years.
(BMcN/BMcC)
The new centre, Larne House, is the first of its kind in NI and increases the capacity in the detention estate as the government intensifies enforcement activity across the UK.
The Co Antrim facility will only house adults with separate sleeping quarters for men and women.
Once operational, the former police custody suite, which has been tailored to meet UK Border Agency specifications, will accommodate a maximum of 21 illegal immigrants for a period of up to seven days in order to facilitate their removal from the UK.
The centre will hold foreign nationals caught illegally working in Northern Ireland, overstaying their visa as well as failed asylum seekers being removed from the UK.
Larne House gives the border agency the ability to detain people in Northern Ireland while their removal from the UK is being organised.
It also ensures that foreign national prisoners due for deportation are not allowed back into the community before they are removed.
Last year more than 16,500 people were removed from the UK directly from removal centres.
David Wood, Strategic Director of Criminality and Detention, UK Border Agency, said: "A tough system of enforcement and removal is one of the cornerstones of an effective immigration system.
"This new facility in Northern Ireland is a welcome addition to the UK Border Agency's estate and will help us remove more individuals who have no right to be here.
"We are reforming the system to make it more effective to ensure those with no right to be here are removed," he said.
The first detainees will be accepted into Larne House, next Monday, 11th July.
The opening of this new centre now means that the UK Border Agency can hold up to 3,400 people in detention across the UK at any one time. This will allow more foreign nationals with no right to be here to be removed from the UK in the coming years.
(BMcN/BMcC)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A mostly dry day, rather cloudy, but some sunny spells, best of these in the afternoon. A few showers spread south from late morning, turning wintry in the afternoon. Maximum temperature 5 °C.Tonight:A cold evening and night with a frost. It will be largely dry, but a few wintry showers towards the north coast overnight. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
