Statistics on immigration detainees in Immigration Department Annual Reports
Dear Immigration Department,
I am writing make a data access request regarding the statistics on immigration detainees in the Annual Reports published by the Immigration Department.
In the 2019 Immigration Department Annual Report, Appendix 13 (Enforcement Branch Statistics), the number associated with "Detention" is listed as 10,053 for year of 2019. (https://www.immd.gov.hk/publications/a_r...)
In Chapter 5: Enforcement Branch, the report states that 5,353 people were admitted to Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre in 2019. Further, 12,217 people were stated as being admitted to Ma Tau Kok Detention Centre in 2019. Added together, this indicates a total of 17,570 people were admitted to both aforementioned facilities. (https://www.immd.gov.hk/publications/a_r...)
Further, in an access to information request that asked for the "The no. of individuals detained under immigration powers during the relevant period", the relevant statistic under Appendix 13 was provided. (https://accessinfo.hk/en/request/immigra...)
Thus I would like to ask:
What is the "Detention" statistic in Appendix 13 of Immigration Department's Annual Reports referring to? How is "Detention" in this instance defined and how is it measured?
Yours faithfully,
Surabhi Chopra
Our Reference: L/M (6) in ImmD ORS/6-5/2 (C) Pt.3
Dear Surabhi Chopra,
Our department has received your application for access to information on
21 April 2021. Your application is now under processing. According to
paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will
inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 11
May 2021. In the meantime, please contact the undersigned via this email
if you have any enquiry.
Best Regards,
TSE Chung-hong
for Director of Immigration
To learn more about the application requirements and procedures of the
most frequently used services provided by the Hong Kong Immigration
Department, you are welcome to visit the Easy Access Playlist at Hong Kong
Immigration Department [1]YouTube Channel. The concerned video clips have
Cantonese voice-over supplemented by Chinese or English subtitles.
Our Reference: L/M (6) in ImmD ORS/6-5/2 (C) Pt.3
Dear Surabhi Chopra,
Further to the interim reply on 30.04.2021, I am writing to inform you
that your application for Access to Information is still under processing,
as more time is required to gather and consolidate the information
requested in your application (if any). According to paragraph 1.18 of the
Code on Access to Information, our department will inform you of the
latest progress of the case separately on or before 10.06.2021.
If you have any enquiry, please contact the undersigned via this email.
Best Regards,
TSE Chung-hong
for Director of Immigration
To learn more about the application requirements and procedures of the
most frequently used services provided by the Hong Kong Immigration
Department, you are welcome to visit the Easy Access Playlist at Hong Kong
Immigration Department [1]YouTube Channel. The concerned video clips have
Cantonese voice-over supplemented by Chinese or English subtitles.
Our Reference: L/M (6) in ImmD ORS/6-5/2 (C) Pt.3
Dear Surabhi Chopra,
I refer to your application for access to information submitted on 21
April 2021 and our interim replies on 30 April 2021 and 11 May 2021.
The "Detention" statistics in Appendix 13 of the Immigration Department
Annual Report refers to the number of detentions for or arising from
inquiries and investigation into suspected offences under the Immigration
Ordinance or the Immigration Service Ordinance. To compile the
"Detention" statistics for the Enforcement Branch, inputs from
investigation sections and relevant parties would be consolidated.
I hope the information is useful to you.
Best Regards,
TSE Chung-hong
for Director of Immigration
To learn more about the application requirements and procedures of the
most frequently used services provided by the Hong Kong Immigration
Department, you are welcome to visit the Easy Access Playlist at Hong Kong
Immigration Department [1]YouTube Channel. The concerned video clips have
Cantonese voice-over supplemented by Chinese or English subtitles.
Dear Immigration Department,
Thank you for your response. I would like to clarify how the Appendix 13 ‘Detention’ statistic relates to the annual admittance numbers for CIC and MTKDC.
1) If the Appendix 13 ‘Detention’ statistic refers to the ‘number of detentions’ resulting from ‘suspected offences under the Immigration Ordinance or the Immigration Service Ordinance’, does the Appendix 13 ‘Detention’ statistic includes annual admittances to both the CIC and MTKDC facilities? If so, why is the Appendix 13 number lower than the sum of the admittances to CIC and MTKDC?
2) Does the Appendix 13 ‘ Detention’ statistic include admittances to other detention facilities, such as entry control points and the airport?
Thank you for your help with this inquiry.
Yours faithfully,
Surabhi Chopra
Our Reference: L/M (6) in ImmD ORS/6-5/2 (C) Pt.3
Dear Surabhi Chopra,
Our department has received your application for access to information on
15 September 2021. Your application is now under processing. According
to paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department
will inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before
5 October 2021. In the meantime, please contact the undersigned via this
email if you have any enquiry.
Best Regards,
TSE Chung-hong
for Director of Immigration
To learn more about the application requirements and procedures of the
most frequently used services provided by the Hong Kong Immigration
Department, you are welcome to visit the Easy Access Playlist at Hong Kong
Immigration Department [1]YouTube Channel. The concerned video clips have
Cantonese voice-over supplemented by Chinese or English subtitles.
Our Reference: L/M (6) in ImmD ORS/6-5/2 (C) Pt.3
Dear Surabhi Chopra,
Further to the interim reply on 24 September 2021, I am writing to inform
you that your application for Access to Information is still under
processing, as more time is required to gather and consolidate the
information requested in your application (if any). According to paragraph
1.18 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will inform you
of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 4 November
2021.
If you have any enquiry, please contact the undersigned via this email.
Best Regards,
TSE Chung-hong
for Director of Immigration
To learn more about the application requirements and procedures of the
most frequently used services provided by the Hong Kong Immigration
Department, you are welcome to visit the Easy Access Playlist at Hong Kong
Immigration Department [1]YouTube Channel. The concerned video clips have
Cantonese voice-over supplemented by Chinese or English subtitles.
Our ref. : IL/00686370/21, L/M (6) in ImmD ORS/6-5/2 (C) Pt.3
Dear Surabhi Chopra,
I refer to your application for access to information submitted on 15
September 2021 and our interim replies on 24 September 2021 and 5 October
2021.
As provided in our last reply, the “Detention” statistics in Appendix 13
of the Immigration Department Annual Report (the “Detention” statistics)
refers to the number of detentions for or arising from inquiries and
investigation into suspected offences under the Immigration Ordinance or
the Immigration Service Ordinance.
You may wish to note that Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre (CIC) is an
immigration detention facility for detaining immigration offender (18
years old or above) who are awaiting repatriation/removal/deportation in
accordance with the Immigration Ordinance while Ma Tau Kok Detention
Centre (MTKDC) is an immigration facility for short-term detention of
immigration offenders pending inquiry, prosecution, court hearing,
transfer to other detention facilities etc. As such, the detainees in CIC
and MTKDC were not limited to those being detained for the said purposes
and the sum of admittances to CIC and MTKDC would not be the same as the
“Detention” statistics.
In addition, the “Detention” statistics include those being detained for
the said purposes at designated places of detention other than CIC and
MTKDC. However, we do not maintain the breakdown of the “Detention”
statistics by places of detention.
I hope the information is useful to you.
Best Regards,
TSE Chung-hong
for Director of Immigration
To learn more about the application requirements and procedures of the
most frequently used services provided by the Hong Kong Immigration
Department, you are welcome to visit the Easy Access Playlist at Hong Kong
Immigration Department [1]YouTube Channel. The concerned video clips have
Cantonese voice-over supplemented by Chinese or English subtitles.
