This Lent, the Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK) is turning its focus to a place where hope is often in short supply - immigration detention centres.

In response to Pope Francis’ call to be “pilgrims of hope” this Jubilee Year, JRS UK is launching an appeal to support people who find themselves locked up indefinitely, without trial, in a system that criminalizes rather than protects.

Even before its official founding, JRS UK was working in detention centres, where people - many of them survivors of human trafficking, torture, and violence - are left isolated, neglected, and often unable to access justice. Today, the need is greater than ever as the government moves to expand the use of detention, a decision that will see more asylum seekers and trafficking survivors stripped of dignity and hope.

Sr Maria, a JRS UK volunteer, recalls meeting Thanh, a Vietnamese man who fled threats against his family only to be trafficked, exploited, and eventually detained. "He was treated as a perpetrator, not a victim," she says. "Without English, without legal support, people like Thanh remain trapped in a cruel limbo."

JRS UK’s expert staff and volunteers provide pastoral care, legal advice, and practical support to those in detention. Their Lent Appeal asks the public to help bring hope where it is needed most - ensuring that detainees can stay in touch with family, access interpreters, and receive vital legal representation.

See also The Tablet’s feature on community initiatives in East London, including litter-picking and skill-sharing programs led by the Jesuit Refugee Service UK, which are fostering connections between local residents and refugees - Home from home – the Jesuit Refugee Service and friends in east London.

To support JRS UK’s Lent Appeal, please visit: www.jrsuk.net/lent.

Banner photo courtesy of Ruth Gledhill at The Tablet