Film reveals experiences of migrants held on Diego Garcia

Professor Sue Clayton produced and partially shot a film for Channel 4 News revealing the hellish conditions Tamil migrants were held in on Diego Garcia.

Unearthing the experiences of the migrants, the film will also be critical in supporting their asylum claim.

The plight of Sri Lankan refugees entangled in a long running legal dispute for asylum was captured by Professor Sue Clayton, who is a co-director of the new Migrant Futures Institute, with the help of two second-year Goldsmiths students as part of the Immigration Law Clinic mentoring scheme. 

The information garnered of their experiences will be an important part of the legal argument to support their permanent settlement in the UK and was used in a Channel 4 News report revealing the hellish conditions they experienced while being held on Diego Garcia. 

Originally aiming to reach Canada, the Tamil migrants - including families and young children - boarded a boat owned by traffickers in Sri Lanka. After falling into difficulties at sea, the British overseas territory of Diego Garcia - the largest of the Chagos Islands - was in reach. The migrants spent more than three years encamped on the island, the home to a US military base. While on the island the migrants were denied the opportunity or means to communicate with the outside world, including with their families. A judge later ruled that they were unlawfully detained there for 1,155 days.  

Details of their experiences, gathered by Professor Clayton and the students by building trust with the migrants, which empowered them to share their recollections as well as film footage taken on mobile phones, will be critical to their legal case. 

The interaction between media and legal disciplines underpins the basis for the Immigration Law Clinic, as well as Professor Clayton’s approach. Legal teams aren't always geared up to spending the time to establish deep relations and a more nuanced understanding of migrant experiences. In Clayton's view, along with the storytelling process being important from the migrants’ own perspective, this approach can also unlock vital legal evidence. 

The Immigration Law Clinic provides the opportunity for students from any discipline from second year onwards to gain research or practice experience in the field of immigration law and policy. As Dr Marta Minetti explains, “The clinic brings together people who are passionate about this issue and want to do something about it, whatever their background. The clinic aims to tackle issues around migration from a variety of perspectives.” 

Two students from the Immigration Law Clinic helped Professor Clayton when filming with the migrant families in the UK, and several more continue to support the migrants with learning English.  

Law student Maham Adnan said: “One of the highlights of my experience was visiting the migrants with Professor Clayton. It was a truly impactful experience that deepened my understanding of the challenges refugees face.”  

“Doing this work sparked a strong desire in me to pursue work in human rights, because helping those who can’t always help themselves felt profoundly rewarding. Even just being able to make them feel happy and welcome for a few hours was an incredible experience, and it solidified my commitment to supporting those in need.”