A new report has revealed that migrants held at UK ports and airports are being denied access to their medication, putting their health at serious risk. The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) inspected several short-term holding facilities and found poor healthcare arrangements, no access to medicine, and unsafe living conditions during detention.
The IMB looked at facilities at Bristol and Cardiff airports, and at Poole, Portsmouth, and Newhaven ports, where migrants can be held for up to 24 hours. According to their report, detained individuals are not allowed to keep or take their prescribed medicines, even if it’s critical to their health.
In one alarming case at Bristol Airport, a migrant who had recently undergone surgery was denied post-operative antibiotics, which could have led to dangerous complications. The board warned that the ban on medications, even short-term, “may present risks to health.”
Basic hygiene and comfort were also lacking. At Portsmouth, inspectors found there was no hot water or soap, raising serious concerns about cleanliness. Meanwhile, at Poole, there was no heating at all—leaving migrants exposed to cold conditions. The IMB said such environments were unacceptable, especially for vulnerable individuals.
The report also noted that Bristol Airport—the busiest of the sites—had no plans to expand its detention unit, even though passenger numbers are expected to grow. This means that migrants could face overcrowded and under-equipped conditions in the near future.
The IMB criticized Border Force, the UK government agency responsible for running these detention sites, for blocking access to key records. Inspectors were not allowed to view detention files at Poole and Cardiff, and their office access at Poole was even withdrawn during the year. The board said this lack of transparency makes proper oversight difficult.
Despite these problems, the IMB did acknowledge that Border Force staff treated detained migrants with care and respect during their interactions. Still, the board stressed that this did not excuse the broader problems with healthcare, facilities, and record-keeping.
Di Askwith, chair of the IMB, said many detained migrants are already anxious and vulnerable, especially after long and difficult journeys. “We would like to see better record keeping and full access for IMB inspectors to ensure fair and safe treatment for all individuals in detention,” she added.
In the year ending January 2025, 356 people were detained for longer than two hours at Bristol. Portsmouth saw 63 detentions, Cardiff had 12, Newhaven had eight, and Poole had just two. Overall, the numbers were lower than the previous year, when 582 people were detained, but serious concerns remain.
Human rights groups and migrant advocates have called for immediate improvements in the way the UK handles short-term migrant detention, especially around access to healthcare and transparency. With more migrants arriving each year, pressure is growing for the government to protect the health and dignity of those in its care.