A 26-year-old man dies at Brook House immigration detention center

Serco confirmed that the man died at the Brook House deportation center.

The security firm that manages and operates the detention center near Gatwick Airport in West Sussex said a 26-year-old man had died on Sunday.

The Ministry of Interior said it expressed its condolences to the man’s family and friends.

The incident occurred almost a year after the death of a 37-year-old Albanian man who attempted to commit suicide in November 2023 while being held at Brook House.

A public inquiry into the detention center found that migrants were victims of violence.

The investigation found that there were 19 cases of ill-treatment of detainees in five months in 2017.

The government faced criticism for its response to the inquiry, with chairwoman Kate Eves – appointed by the then Conservative government to lead the inquiry – calling in September for a “reset” of the government’s “inadequate” response to her recommendations.

A spokesman for Brook House said: “We can confirm the death of a 26-year-old man at Brook House yesterday.”

Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group, which supports inmates at Brook House, said “no one should take their last breath” at the center.

Paying tribute to the late man, the charity wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Following the death yesterday of a man in custody, we offer our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and everyone who knew and loved him.

“Brook House is prison architecture and no one should take their last breath there. We mourn the fact that a young man died before he could be free.”

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International’s UK director for refugees and migrants, said: “We are devastated by reports that another person has died at Brook House detention center. Our heartfelt sympathies go to his family, friends and fellow prisoners also affected by this tragedy.

“Brook House has gained notoriety for violence, racism and harassment. We do not yet know what part this may have played in this man’s death, but these degradations result from a broader failure to create a system that respects human dignity and rights.

“Tragic incidents like this underscore why the government must include humanity in the immigration system as much as in any other policy area – people’s lives depend on it.”

Medical Justice, which works with vulnerable people in detention, has described Immigration Removal Centers (IRCs) as “dangerous”.

The charity was referring to Frank Ospina, who died in March last year while being held at Colnbrook immigration detention center in West Drayton, Middlesex, awaiting removal to Colombia.

The jury investigating his death concluded that he died by suicide.

Medical Justice said: “The Brook House investigation found that clinical safeguards at the detention center are “dysfunctional” and systemic failures persist.

“Just a few days ago, in response to the investigation into Frank Ospina’s suicide while in immigration detention, following a catalog of failings in his care, the Home Office said it had taken a number of actions to improve the protection of people in detention.

“Medical Justice is unsure whether this is indeed the case as we have not seen improvements in safety in detention centers over the years after many such assurances.”