OXFORD University academics and students have protested the expansion of a Kidlington immigration removal centre from from 260 beds to 610.

There are 70 signatures from senior academics on an open letter to Witney MP and Prime Minister David Cameron against Campsfield House.

The letter, launched at Radcliffe Camera on Saturday, said: “We do not find it acceptable [immigrants] should be detained without trial, without time limit, without proper judicial oversight and with little chance of bail, and thus treated worse than criminals.”

One of the protesters, second-year English student and member of Oxford University Amnesty International Hester Thompson, said: “We wanted to draw attention to it.

“The main thing is that the centre’s run for profit. They’re not criminals.”