Witnesses report that at least 4 men were arrested by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) during night raids on houses in Haringey, North London.
Over a dozen Immigration Officers wore stab-proof vests and used unmarked vehicles to operate in residential areas after 10pm on Wednesday 2nd May 2012. When angry residents confronted the Officers about their actions, they claimed to have warrants from a judge which authorised their raids. The Officers said they were part of a north central London ‘local immigration team’ based out of Islington, and that the arrested men would be taken to Beckett House, a UKBA reporting centre near London Bridge. All the Officers were equipped with walkie-talkie radios and handcuffs. They drove 3 silver Ford Galaxy cars and a white Mercedes van with a cage inside (Registration number: LX56 DKV).
The Immigration Officers were uncomfortable when residents began to film them. They followed the arrest van back out onto the main road to make sure no more homes were being targeted. Afterwards, an upset resident commented: “How can the Border Agency claim that this country is full? There’s a property on the street they raided that’s been empty for the last 6 months – covered in metal sheets to prevent anyone from living inside”.
These raids are particularly provocative in a borough where immigration police have a legacy of brutality. On 28th July 1993, immigration officers and police dawn raided a flat in Crouch End to deport a Jamaican woman, Joy Gardner. Her mother described the incident: “She was in her bed in her flat with a five- year-old kid. They put her on the floor, put tape on her mouth and on her feet. They sat on her stomach and damaged her kidneys and her brain”. Joy later died in hospital from her injuries. The officers were never bought to justice.
Immigration raids like this happen frequently in London, but are rarely reported on. The UKBA sometimes publish their version of events online. Thankfully, some community activists have spoken out about recent raids in South London. In February, dozens of Latin Americans were caught in a trap by Immigration Officers at a music concert in Elephant & Castle. In April, UKBA agents targeted Ghanaians at a bus stop in New Cross. In Haringey, UKBA arrest teams have been seen in Tottenham Hale, Wood Green and Seven Sisters.