Immigration Detention in United Arab Emirates

Despite its efforts to cultivate a reputation as a bastion of culture and tourism in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates imposes harsh conditions on foreign workers, systematically represses those who speak out about abuses, and prevents investigations of its detention and incarceration of non-citizens. What little information is available about detention must be gleaned through reviewing relevant legislation, media reports, reports from foreign governments, as well as studies undertaken by international NGOs. Taken together, these sources appear to point to a burgeoning immigration detention regime in the UAE that has little independent review or oversight.