News
28 FEBRUARY 2026
Students join protest outside re-opened Campsfield House
The Cherwell reported on the protest at Campsfield House IRC on 28 February:
Students from the University of Oxford society Student Action For Refugees (STAR) today joined a protest outside Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, calling for its closure.
The protest, comprising around 40 people, was divided into two groups: one demonstrating on the road outside the Campsfield House site, and one standing just outside the IRC gates on the site grounds. Protesters held banners reading ‘Immigration detention: what a cruel invention’, and chanted “shame on you” at police arriving at the scene.
23 FEBRUARY 2026
Coalition Press Release
‘People are not tokens to be traded’ – ‘Boycott Air France!’ – ‘End detention!’
Campaigners call for ‘One-In-One-Out’ scheme to be axed
Local people believe that people arriving on small boats across the Channel are being imprisoned in the newly reopened Campsfield immigration detention centre near Kidlington. The Coalition to Close Campsfield calls for the UK/France ‘One-In-One-Out’ deal under which people are being deported to France, to be scrapped. The agreement allows one asylum seeker to travel to the UK legally in exchange for another, who arrived in the UK in a small boat, being forcibly returned to France.
A High Court challenge has been launched by people directly affected, arguing that the policy breaches modern slavery protections and puts trafficking survivors at risk. The UN has also urged both governments to suspend the scheme, warning that some enforcement practices could amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and may breach the UN Convention Against Torture and the Refugee Convention.
The Guardian (19.02.26) reports that 28 refugee and human rights NGOs on both sides of the Channel have written to airlines involved with deportation flights – Air France, Titan Airways, AlbaStar Airlines and Corendon Airlines accusing them of ‘complicity in cruel and forced deportations including of victims of torture, trafficking and modern slavery’, and calling for a boycott of Air France.
In addition, new rules will force people to wait longer for settled status. As people likely to be affected have said:
“Now we face the mental health impact of potentially decades in limbo, not knowing whether we are going to be granted leave to remain. These proposals don’t just delay paperwork; they delay lives, hopes, and dreams.” (Source: 38 Degrees petition)
Griff Ferris, spokesperson for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said:
“This deportation scheme is a sick and dehumanising way to treat people who came here to seek safety from war and persecution. These are people with hopes, dreams and loved ones, who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.“
Coalition supporter Bill MacKeith said:
“Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is bending to the will of the racists in the Reform Party. The government cannot win by showing it is tough on migration – Reform and racists will always outbid them. Everyone is entitled to justice and humanity, not harsh treatment.“
Former detainee:
“While I was at Campsfield, I saw many people struggle to cope with depression and a system designed to break people down. You are treated as if you are a risk to society when all you are trying to do is reach safety and build a life.”
5 DECEMBER 2025
BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Oxford’s Sophie Law spoke to Hari Reed, co-director of Oxford’s Asylum Welcome refugee support charity, and Calum Miller, Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, about the re-opening of Campsfield House immigration detention centre on 5 December (7-minute audio clip).
5 DECEMBER 2025
Clarion Weekend, 5 December 2025: Top stories
The immigration removal centre at Campsfield House reopened on Wednesday. Campaigners protested in Kidlington and Oxford, with 50 people gathering at Carfax in what organisers described as “a sombre event, a kind of vigil”.
3 DECEMBER 2025
‘Campsfield House rips apart families’ say protestors
Protestors have said an Oxfordshire immigration centre “rips apart families and destroys lives” following its return.
Campsfield House in Kidlington was closed in 2018 but reopened this year, with the first asylum seekers from other detention centres being brought there yesterday.
4 DECEMBER 2025
Protests against immigration detention centre reopening
Protests ahead of the arrival of the first detainees at a reopened immigration removal centre have taken place.
Campsfield House, near Oxford Airport, was shut in 2018 after years of problems, including riots, escapes and complaints about conditions.
22 NOVEMBER 2025
Students join demonstration to keep Campsfield House immigration detention centre closed
Approximately 50 protesters staged a demonstration outside the Campsfield House immigration detention centre in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, [on Saturday] afternoon.
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22 NOVEMBER 2025
Protesters oppose immigration centre reopening
“The people of Oxfordshire have made their voices clear, and will continue to do so, that refugees are welcome here. This is meant to be a city of sanctuary. Campsfield is the opposite of sanctuary,” Emma Jones, on behalf of the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed.
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Written Questions to Parliament about Campsfield House by Kidlington MP
Keep up with written questions about Campsfield House which Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, has put to Parliament, and what answers he has got from ministers.
Questions to Parliament by local MP about Campsfield House, with answers from ministers
4 SEPTEMBER 2025
‘A lot of questions’ over immigration centre plans
Residents still have “a lot of questions” about proposals for the reopening of a controversial immigration centre, as the local MP point out.
Read more
29 AUGUST 2025
Amnesty International UK (Moseley, Balsall Heath & Kings Heath group): Resources for letter writing actions supporting the ‘Keep Campsfield Closed’ campaign
Campsfield House, originally built as a prison, closed in 2018 after 25 years of detaining individuals without trial, often in inhumane and harmful conditions. The government now plans to reopen many detention centres, including Campsfield House. As a local group, we support both the Keep Campsfield Closed petition and contacting local MPS to urge for action on this issue.
Read more
28 AUGUST 2025
Bishop of Oxford slams Farage’s immigration proposals
The Bishop of Oxford has called Nigel Farage ‘deeply disturbing’ in response to the party leader’s immigration policy launch in Kidlington.
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27 AUGUST 2025
Oxfordshire MP slams Nigel Farage for ‘sowing division’
An Oxfordshire MP has slammed Nigel Farage for ‘sowing division’ after the Reform UK party leader launched proposals in Oxfordshire to deport 600,000 asylum seekers.
Read more
7 JULY 2025
Immigration centre to reopen under same management
Campsfield House, near Kidlington, Oxfordshire, was operated by Facilities management company Mitie but shut in 2018 after years of problems, including riots, escapes and complaints about conditions.
Shockingly, Mitie has been awarded a new six-year contract to run the same facility again.
Read more
13 JUNE 2025
Revamp plans for controversial Campsfield House ‘shocking’
Plans for a £70 million revamp of a controversial immigration removal centre in Oxfordshire have been branded ‘shocking’ by an MP.
Read more
6 APRIL 2025
Labour wants to reopen a controversial refugee detention centre – but people are fighting back
After 25 years of local and national protests, Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, closed in December 2018.
So campaigners were heartbroken when Boris Johnson announced plans to reopen it.
Read more
27 MARCH 2025
Amnesty International UK (Chipping Norton group): Immigration Detention
We have been learning more about Campsfield House in nearby Kidlington… It is currently undergoing refurbishment and expansion in preparation for reopening as an Immigration Removal Centre… in spite of strong opposition from local politicians and members of the public.
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28 DECEMBER 2024
Campsfield House: A turbulent 2024 for controversial centre
It has been a turbulent year for people campaigning against the reopening of a former immigration centre in Kidlington.
Read more
13 NOVEMBER 2024
New year, new detention centre
Half an hour north of central Oxford, you’ll find two neighbouring but disparate developments. On one side, a £4 billion state-of-the-art science area. On the other, Campsfield Detention Centre: a £70 million facility for 400 immigration detainees.
The hypocrisy is glaring.
Read more
22 OCTOBER 2024
Campsfield House: Cherwell District Council backs motion
Cherwell District Council is the latest local authority to condemn the government over its plans to reopen a controversial immigration centre.
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8 OCTOBER 2024
Immigration centre reopening opposed by council
The government’s plans to reopen a controversial immigration detention centre have been formally opposed by a council.
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3 OCTOBER 2024
Campsfield House: Green Party urges civic chiefs to act
The Green Party is urging civic chiefs to put pressure on the government over its plans to re-open a controversial immigration centre near Oxford.
Read more
1 SEPTEMBER 2024
Labour’s plan to reopen immigrant detention centres will be disastrous
Gee Manoharan says the government should pivot towards community-based alternatives that uphold British values of humanity and justice.
Read more
22 AUGUST 2024
Fury at plans to reopen Campsfield House
Protesters gathered in Oxford to voice anger and disappointment over Labour’s plans to reopen Campsfield House in nearby Kidlington.
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22 AUGUST 2024
Anger at plan to reopen immigration detention centre
Politicians and campaigners have said they are “angry” and “disappointed” over plans to reopen a controversial immigration detention centre.
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21 AUGUST 2024
Immigration detention centres to re-open in removals drive
The new Labour government wants to achieve the highest rate of removals since Theresa May’s premiership in 2018.
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21 AUGUST 2024
‘History of abuse’: Home Office urged to reconsider plans to re-open detention centres
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has been urged to reconsider plans to reopen two immigration detention centres as part of a push to achieve the highest rate of removals since 2018.
Read more
23 JULY 2024
Bicester MP urges plans for Campsfield House to be paused
The MP for Bicester and Woodstock has asked the Home Secretary to pause and reconsider the planned reopening of a controversial immigration centre in a village near Oxford.
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12 JUNE 2024
Company awarded £70m contract to revamp detention centre
Galliford Try has been awarded a £70m contract to revamp an immigration removal centre that shut in 2018.
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12 JUNE 2024
Campsfield Immigration Centre to reopen through Home Office
Campsfield Immigration detention centre set to reopen after the Home Office awarded a £70 million contract to Galliford Try.
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2 FEBRUARY 2024
Immigration centre extension plan sparks concern
There have been renewed calls for the government not to reopen an immigration removal centre after it submitted plans for an extension.
Read more
27 NOVEMBER 2023
Protest to keep immigration centre near Oxford shut ahead of reopening
Around 50 protesters gathered outside Campsfield near Oxford which is set to reopen under government plans..
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27 NOVEMBER 2023
Protesters oppose Campsfield immigration centre reopening
More than 50 protesters have gathered at the former Campsfield immigration detention centre in Kidlington after government plans to reopen the location.
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26 NOVEMBER 2023
Campsfield: Protesters gather at immigration detention centre
A protest was held at Campsfield Detention Centre following government plans to reopen.
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17 JUNE 2023
Oxford University students protest against immigration centre reopening
More than 140 students and staff from the University of Oxford have released a letter protesting against the reopening of an immigration centre.
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16 JUNE 2023
ITV News Coverage
On Friday 16th June demonstrators gathered at Radcliffe Camera in Oxford to protest the reopening of Campsfield House Detention Centre. It also coincided with the launch of an open letter opposing the plans signed by more than 140 students and staff from Oxford University.
16 JUNE 2023
Oxford students protest against detention centre re-opening
Students have committed to challenging the re-opening of a “de-humanising” detention centre in Oxfordshire after over 140 academics and student bodies at Oxford University signed an open letter to the Home Office.
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4 APRIL 2023
Oxford MP condemns plans to re-open ‘cruel’ migrant centre
The re-opening of a “cruel” immigration centre should be “halted”, an Oxford MP has said.
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11 OCTOBER 2022
Campsfield House detention centre reopening opposed by Oxfordshire council
A council leader will write to the Home Secretary urging her to stop the reopening of a detention centre.
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30 SEPTEMBER 2022
Statement on the Reopening of Campsfield IRC
Many of you will have seen the news yesterday announcing the government’s plan to reopen Campsfield House as an immigration removal centre.
The announcement very much fits with the policy of treating asylum seekers as illegal immigrants that has been provided for in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 that we all fought so hard to oppose.
Read more
29 SEPTEMBER 2022
Protests Against The Re-opening of Campsfield House IRC
On 21st September, the Home Office announced that it was inviting prospective bidders to visit the Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre on the 29th September, with a mind to reopen the centre in order to detain male asylum seekers. They were met by a protest by local campaigners of the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed, who held signs reading “Shame of profits made from misery” and “Local people say no to Campsfield”.
Read more
26 SEPTEMBER 2022
Layla Moran urges Government ditch Campsfield House plans
An Oxford MP has urged the government to keep an immigration removal centre (IRC) at the site of the former Campsfield House closed.
Read more
23 SEPTEMBER 2022
Layla Moran MP takes the fight to Parliament
Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran secured an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on the reopening of Campsfield to which she is strongly opposed.
View the debate
16 JULY 2022
Protests held in Oxford over plans to open immigration centre on Campsfield House site
Protestors gathered in Bonn Square to protest against plans by the Home Office to open an immigration centre on the Campsfield House site.
1 JULY 2022
Campsfield House: Council leader says immigration centre ‘dehumanises refugees’
The reopening of an immigration detention centre would be “inhumane”, councillors have said.
Read more
28 JUNE 2022
Plans to open immigration centre on old site are ‘disgraceful’, MP says
The former Campsfield House immigration removal centre near Oxford is to become a 400-bed detention site for men.
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