An 86-page guidance document entitled “Immigration Bail” was published on January 31, 2022. It contains a large section on GPS-marked immigrants and does not list asylum seekers who have not committed crimes as a priority group for adding GPS tags. He says the labels are more likely to be used “where a person is at high risk of harming the public on the basis of crime and / or national security matters”. He adds: “There will be fewer devices available than the number of people on duty. As a result, there will be a need to regulate the use of devices. “ The January guidance also makes a note of concern about identifying people with mental or physical health problems and those who claim to be survivors of torture or human trafficking. Although this group will not be automatically excluded from tagging, issues should be considered before making a decision. The goal of the new guidance announced by the Interior Ministry on June 15 on the application of GPS tags to asylum seekers arriving by small boats or lorries in a 12-month pilot program is to prevent them from fleeing. However, a request for freedom of information received by Brians Dikoff of the Migrants Organize revealed that the escape rates of those released from immigrant detention are extremely low – 3% in 2019 and 1% in 2020. There were legal challenges to the legality of adding GPS tags by the Home Office even before the last announcement last week. Janet Farrell of the Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, which has taken proceedings in the Supreme Court, said: data for all their movements, on an indefinite basis. “There are serious concerns about the legitimacy of this interventionist policy that must be tested in the courts.” Rudy Schulkind, director of research and policy at the Bail for Immigration Detainees, said: “This is a completely inhumane policy designed to ensure that some people can never enjoy a moment of peace, dignity or community. With escape rates so low, it is designed to solve a problem that does not exist. “We call on the government to reconsider this heinous policy.” Privacy International has also expressed policy concerns. The campaigns describe the addition of GPS tags as “a highly punitive surveillance measure”. An Interior Ministry spokesman said: “The government will not be discouraged as we plan for the next flight to Rwanda. “We will detain as many people as the law allows, but when a court orders the release of a person on Tuesday flight, we will point them out where necessary.” Home Office sources said those at high risk of harming the public would continue to be told that medical issues and torture would be taken into account before applying labels to asylum seekers and that it would be up to judges to decide whether a label would be part of a person’s guarantee requirements if they are to be released from immigration detention, where the majority of those issued with intentional notices or removal instructions for Tuesday’s canceled Rwandan flight remain.
