The United Kingdom’s immigration detention system is once again under intense scrutiny-this time for its failure to protect one of the most vulnerable groups in its custody: LGBTQ+ migrants. Recent revelations have exposed shocking gaps in the training of staff working for private companies that manage the nation’s immigration removal centres, raising serious concerns about the safety and dignity of detained queer asylum seekers.

Documents obtained by the London-based charity Rainbow Migration and reviewed by openDemocracy show that companies such as Serco and Mitie-two of the UK’s largest immigration service providers-are failing to adequately train staff to meet the specific needs of LGBTQ+ detainees. The findings point to an institutional problem that extends far beyond inadequate paperwork. For many migrants fleeing persecution due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, Britain’s immigration system has become yet another place of trauma rather than refuge.

The reviewed training materials contain deeply troubling errors. Staff training slides refer to detainees-people held while awaiting deportation or the outcome of asylum claims-as “prisoners.” Such language is more than a semantic misstep. It reflects the broader criminalization of migrants in UK policy and the prison-like conditions within detention facilities.

While the documents include sections on racial equality and the prevention of discrimination, they often omit specific references to homophobia, transphobia, or the unique vulnerabilities of LGBTQ+ detainees. The materials, created between 2018 and 2024, fail to meet the standards of awareness and sensitivity required for managing a population that is already at high risk of abuse and psychological distress.

Rainbow Migration argues that this neglect underscores why the UK government should end the detention of LGBTQ+ migrants altogether. “Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are supposed to be protected by the policies that are currently in place, but this FOI shows that even basic protections such as adequate DEI training for staff are not being implemented,” said Minesh Parekh, the charity’s policy and public affairs manager. “It also shows how LGBTQI+ people are let down by the disparity in protections across centres and between different private providers.”

Nearly 500 people identifying as LGBTQ+ were detained in UK immigration centres between June 2022 and July 2024, according to the data released under the Freedom of Information Act. Many of these individuals had fled violence, imprisonment, or social ostracism in their home countries. Instead of finding safety, they found fear.

George*, one such detainee, fled his home country after surviving brutal homophobic attacks. When he arrived in the UK, he was detained while his asylum claim was processed. “It was the most lonely feeling,” he recalled. After a staff member accidentally left his file-containing details about his sexuality-open on a desk, other detainees discovered that he was gay. What followed was weeks of harassment and beatings. “Staff didn’t care. It felt like a prison. I had nightmares for months afterwards,” George said.

Another former detainee, Joel Mordi, a gay man from Nigeria, described his experience at Harmondsworth immigration removal centre as “mentally unbearable.” Detained for just five days, Mordi said the fear and power imbalance among detainees made it impossible to feel safe. “As an LGBTQ+ person, the threats and dangers inside were ever-present. Homophobic bullying and harassment were common. It felt like there was no escape from the prejudice and violence that had driven me from my home in the first place.”

The fear of being outed or targeted compels many queer detainees to conceal their identities, sometimes at great psychological cost. Ayesha Aziz, legal services manager at Rainbow Migration, described visiting a man who spent 50 days in detention too afraid to speak or sleep. “He was so scared of being outed that he would hide his face under a hooded top. He feared his roommate suspected he was gay and would attack him at night,” Aziz said.

Such experiences highlight the profound mismatch between the UK’s detention policies and the government’s own recognition-since 2016-that certain groups, including trans and intersex people, are “at risk of harm” and should not ordinarily be detained. Rainbow Migration now calls for this protection to be extended to all LGBTQ+ people, regardless of orientation.

The responsibility for ensuring safety within the UK’s detention system lies partly with the Home Office, but much of the daily operation is outsourced to private firms-Serco, Mitie, and others-that hold multi-million-pound contracts. The incentive structures of these companies, critics argue, prioritize efficiency and cost reduction over human rights.

In 2023, Serco secured a nine-year contract worth £69.5 million to manage Derwentside in County Durham-the UK’s only women-only immigration removal centre. A year later, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) found that many of the women detained there were “extremely vulnerable.” Yet the training provided to Serco staff continued to refer to the facility as a “prison,” focusing on the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ employees rather than detainees. Some training assessments failed to mention LGBTQ+ people at all.

The same issues were identified at Yarl’s Wood, another Serco-run centre infamous for past abuse scandals. Training materials there also used the term “prisoners” and concentrated on preventing discrimination against staff rather than detainees. An IMB report from 2023 revealed that while about a quarter of detainees identified as gay, bisexual, or of another sexual orientation, only 8% felt safe enough to disclose this to staff-a stark indicator of mistrust and fear.

Mitie, which runs several other detention centres including Harmondsworth, Colnbrook, and Dungavel, also came under fire for outdated or inadequate training content. A 10-year contract worth £525 million binds the company to deliver immigration services, yet its materials reportedly used outdated terminology like “intersexual” and neglected to discuss the specific vulnerabilities of queer detainees.

In one training exercise, staff were asked to identify discriminatory language using words such as “ladyboy” and “homo,” but the materials failed to explain the harm behind these slurs or to encourage empathy toward those targeted. Some sessions did not mention LGBTQ+ issues at all.

Mitie’s spokesperson responded with a familiar corporate refrain: “Inclusion is an important part of our culture… We recognise that this is an evolving area and the materials are being reviewed and will be updated to reflect current best practice.”

Such assurances ring hollow for those who have endured harm in the system. Even when training programs contain positive guidance, the question remains: can detention ever be safe for LGBTQ+ people?

For Rainbow Migration and other advocacy groups, the answer is clear-no. The charity argues that detention inherently magnifies the vulnerabilities of queer people, creating an environment of fear, stigma, and silence. “Staff in detention centres are not properly trained and may themselves be homophobic,” Aziz warned. “This lack of proper training means LGBTQ+ people are scared to report abuse. Many avoid seeking legal support for fear of being outed, making it even harder for them to apply for asylum or be released from detention.”

The charity’s campaign to end the detention of LGBTQ+ migrants is gaining momentum amid growing evidence that the system causes more harm than it prevents. Yet the Home Office has remained silent, declining to comment on openDemocracy’s findings.

For George, Joel, and hundreds of others, Britain’s promise of refuge has turned into a prolonged nightmare. Detention has stripped them of safety, privacy, and dignity-values that the UK government claims to uphold. Without urgent reforms-or, as activists argue, the abolition of LGBTQ+ detention altogether-the cycle of fear and neglect will continue.

As Parekh from Rainbow Migration put it: “We cannot talk about inclusion or equality while locking up people who fled persecution because of who they are. Detention is not a safe place for anyone, but for LGBTQ+ people, it can be deadly.”

*Names marked with an asterisk have been changed to protect identities.

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Source: Weekly Blitz :: Writings