“They visited me and made me feel comfortable and gave me hope that one day I would get out of that place.”

-- Former Campsfield detainee, supported by Asylum Welcome

Now that Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre has reopened, people are once again being detained in North Oxfordshire, inside a system that causes fear, isolation and profound distress.

Asylum Welcome staff and volunteers have been visiting people detained at Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre since April 2026.

In just a few weeks, our team has met people who do not fully understand why they have been detained or what will happen next. Some have been separated from family and friends with little warning. Others are struggling to access legal advice, navigate language barriers or simply cope with the uncertainty of detention.

For those in Campsfield, a visitor may be the only person they encounter who is not part of the detention system. Visitors offer a listening ear, practical support and a reminder that they have not been forgotten.

As one young person put it, the visitors "reassure me that I am a human being."

Our pilot visiting service is currently funded until the end of July 2026. We are seeking additional funding so that we can continue this vital work beyond the pilot period and ensure that people detained at Campsfield continue to receive support, solidarity and human connection.

Asylum Welcome has a long history of standing alongside people in detention. Our volunteers visited Campsfield for 20 years before its closure. Our current programme draws on that experience and the good practice of the AVID network to ensure visits are safe, well informed and rooted in solidarity and compassion.

What your donation could do:

• £150 – helps fund a day of coordinated visiting

• £300 – funds a day's visiting and follow-up casework

Every gift, whatever the amount, enables us to support some of the most marginalised people in our society at what can be one of their darkest moments.

Whatever you can afford, your support will help bring human presence into a place defined by isolation. Please do share this page with others and help this message reach more people who may be able to support our work.

In the words of another former Campsfield detainee:

“Thank you for being there for me at a time when it felt like the whole world had forgotten me.”