Women Detain by Police After Emigration Center Protest

Reports now show that four women have been detained by police after a group of mothers started a protest at an emigration removal center in Bedfordshire. Apparently the protest was started due to the fact that the women were separated from their children.

Officers at the Yarl's Wood center in Bedforshidre said that more than 80 women were on hunger strike in protest against their detention and conditions. The Bedforshire Police ended up detaining four women for offenses under the Emigration Act following the disturbance. They were then taken to the Greyfriars Police Station in Bedford and will be handed over to the UK Border Agency.

A spokeswoman said that they have not been arrested or charged with any criminal offenses. The remaining detainees were dealt with on-site by resident staff. Detainees said a number of protesters were separated from everyone else and kept in a hallway for several hours after asking to speak to officials about why there were being detained.

One detainee said that she had been held at the removal center for three months without her two young children. The woman went on to say that 80 women were kept in a hallway for six hours. She said that they were all taken back to their rooms at 8pm. Nobody came to see them to discuss their concerns during that time. No one wanted to leave the hallway without any answers, and one woman tried, unsuccessfully, to escape through a windrow.

The UK Border Agency said that the staff at the center were booked with case workers to resolve the concerns raised by the women. David Wood, a strategic director for criminality and detention said that this is a peaceful protest that was resolved.