Immigration Enforcement fishing raids Holloway road/Seven Sisters road, 4th February

Witness statement:

04/02/14 Tuesday 2.15pm (Began at approx. 2pm on Holloway road.)

At 2.15pm I challenged officers who were inside a bag shop on Holloway road. They refused to show a warrant or anything which would indicate they had prior information before entering the premises. The manager said that he had not given them his consent or been warned of the search until they were in the shop. They began harassing and searching two workers, one of whom managed to leave (possibly by exercising his right to simply walk away?)

One man was arrested. The manager said that this man had a visa but not a work visa. He seemed confident he would be back ‘tomorrow’

Upon challenging two of the officers I was told that I would be arrested for ‘obstruction’. They were all quite fired up and very aggressive. At this point I was standing near them and talking calmly with them, and I was certainly not in their way. One officer (a well built white man of around 45 years) said ‘that’s it I’m arresting you’ and attempted to grab me by the arm. He shoved me over into a display stand as I pulled myself free.

Two officers stayed to hand over notice of a £10,000 fine to the manager. The man who was arrested did not seem too upset, and said himself that he ‘would be back’! It seems he had residence papers but with a temporary work restriction – the manager wouldn’t say anything else.

The UKBA/IE officers also raided a hairstylists’ two doors down, and then went to several businesses along Seven Sisters road, including a restaurant. However, the people working in these places said that they had simply warned them of a potential fine if people were found to be without papers, and then left.

I don’t know if more than 1 man was arrested, but it is clear that Immigration Enforcement officers were carrying out illegal fishing raids in the area today.