MPS write to Patel after dawn raid on asylum seekers left OAP in hospital
A GROUP of MPS has written to the Home Secretary following a dawn raid on an asylum-seeking family which left a pensioner in hospital.
Eight SNP MPS – all seven Glasgow representatives along with the MP for Cumbernauld – have criticised the practice and say it is “immoral” and an infringement of human rights.
It comes after a raid on a home in the north of Glasgow on April 23, where enforcement officers reportedly threatened a family with deportation.
They are believed to have lived in the UK for four-and-a-half years, after fleeing from Pakistan amid a forced marriage attempt.
A 67-year-old man collapsed during the incident and was taken to hospital, before having to call a local immigration charity for help to get home.
His wife and daughter were said to have been left traumatised and scared, with officers warning them they would be returning.
SNP MPS have questioned whether the Home Office has changed its policy, saying they were led to believe the practice of dawn raids had ceased.
In their letter sent to Priti Patel, the group said that “more than eight immigration officers arrived an elderly man’s home to detain and deport him” on April 23.
MPS Anne Mclaughlin, Stewart Mcdonald, Chris Stephens, Alison Thewliss, David Linden, Carol Monaghan, Patrick Grady and Stuart Mcdonald all signed the letter.
They added: “We understand that no prior warning was given to this individual, and the actions can therefore only be described as a ‘dawn raid’.
“This appalling practice, which we had understood should have come to an end some years ago, is unacceptable.”
They said the raids, which are carried out without notice, have been “repeatedly condemned by the people of Glasgow and more widely across Scotland”.
The SNP MPS added: “It is particularly appalling that the UK Government are prepared to deport an elderly man with poor health, and the decision to do this during a global pandemic is nothing short of immoral.”
They have asked Ms Patel to “urgently clarify” if the UK Government has changed its policy on the raids.
The Home Office previously said its immigration enforcement officers take the health and wellbeing of those in their care extremely seriously, and a full risk assessment and consideration of vulnerabilities is taken before any enforcement visit.
The department also said that when people have no right to remain in the UK it would expect them to go home voluntarily, and when they repeatedly refuse it will look to enforce their removal.
It added that the Government is bringing forward a new plan that is “fair but firm”, which is intended to stop the abuse of the system and expedite the removal of those who have no right to be in the UK.