10th January: Seven friends arrested in house raid

Seven people were arrested in a raid on a home last weekend. We have withheld some details here to protect their anonymity.

These friends were living together in one flat, forced to share a tiny place as their ‘illegal’ immigration status meant that they had little money between them.

As they were standing outside the house in the evening and were having a loud discussion, some neighbours decided called the police. Police and UKBA officers then raided the house in the night, arresting all seven residents. One was transferred to a detention centre and is already facing deportation on the next mass charter flight to Afghanistan, scheduled for 14th of January. He had claimed asylum many years ago, but like the vast majority of Afghan asylum seekers, his case was refused.

The other six were able to claim asylum, and are now awaiting a decision. The landlord of the flat faces a criminal charge in relation to having undocumented people in his house, the details of which we are still trying to ascertain.