Christmas Island is located 2,600km North West of Perth and 500km South of Indonesia on the Indian Ocean. The Christmas Island Immigration and Processing Centre is built upon 99 acres of land that was formerly a phosphate mining lease. The centre is at the North Western end of the island next to the National Park.
|
There are three different detention facilities on the island. The Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre is a high security facility for adult males. The Construction Camp Immigration Detention facility is of low security housing unaccompanied minors and families with children. The Phosphate Hill Immigration Detention facility is a secure detention for adult males. Those detained on the island are non-citerzens who arrive in Australia without a valid visa. Many of those housed on the island are labeled '501s', meaning they are migrants whose visas have been cancelled and they face imminent deportation. Their visas are cancelled commonly due to criminal offences and they are placed on the island after serving prison sentences as they await departure. Some cases these people have significant violent criminal histories however in some cases they may have committed no offences at all. They are now said to outnumber the asylum seekers on the island who are scared for their safety being housed with convicted offenders.
|