Council work with immigration enforcement to deport homeless

[Gramsci]

Put this on housing thread but think it's worth a thread.

Saw this disturbing report by Corporate Watch about the complicity of homeless charities and Councils in deporting homeless people.

The Round-Up: rough sleeper immigration raids and charity collaboration | Corporate Watch

Lambeth is one of them:

The Freedom of Information requests asked the GLA and borough councils how many times in the
last year their outreach teams had conducted joint visits to rough sleepers together with Immigration
Enforcement. They also asked how many people had returned “voluntarily” to other countries as a
result of these visits, and how many people had been detained.
Many councils did not answer, claiming that they don't hold this information. Westminster, the
council with by far the most rough sleepers and organised rough sleeper services, was amongst
these. As we will see below, Westminster has actively lobbied for a toughened “enforcement
approach” to European rough sleepers, and in November and December 2015 it ran a key pilot
project with the Home Office called Operation Adoze. We know from a parliamentary question that
exactly 127 EEA nationals encountered in Westminster during this operation were deported through
Operation Adoze, either in those two months or by September 2016.vi So there is certainly active
Immigration Enforcement in Westminster, and active data gathering too.
Twelve other London councils did reply saying that they had carried out joint visits with ICE the
year before. They included all the other inner London boroughs with 160 or more rough sleepers.
Between them, they counted 133 such visits, so about 11 each, just under one a month, in each
borough.
Based on their replies, there seems to be a rough correlation between the number of rough sleepers
in a borough and the number of Immigration Enforcement operations. Camden, number two for
rough sleepers after Westminster, said that its outreach teams made 24 joint visits with Immigration
Enforcement in the previous year, i.e., one a fortnight. Lambeth, with 445 rough sleepers, had 17
joint visits. (These are the two areas operated by CGL “Safer Streets” teams.) Tower Hamlets, with
377 rough sleepers, had 16 joint visits. Lewisham (199 rough sleepers) had 15 joint visits, while
Kensington & Chelsea (225) and Hammersmith & Fulham (161) each had 14. The outliers were
Southwark and Ealing, which had 373 and 219 rough sleepers, but only five and two joint visits
respectively.

 

[Gramsci]

The Round-Up: rough sleeper immigration raids and charity collaboration | Corporate Watch

 

[Gramsci]

Another quote from report. This is supporting Theresa Mays hard-line on immigration:

EU and other European Economic Area (EEA) nationals are the main targets, as they make up nearly half of London rough sleepers. Migrants from Romania, Poland, and other East European countries are particularly affected.

In May 2016, the Home Office toughened the rules so that European rough sleepers can be arrested for deportation if found sleeping rough on just one night.

Tough policy on migrant rough sleepers was “intensely lobbied” for by Westminster Council, and encouraged by the “Mayor's Rough Sleeping Group”, which included senior charity managers from St Mungo's, Thames Reach, Homeless Link, and also Crisis.1

Rough sleeper deportations are at the cutting edge of Theresa May's “hostile environment” approach where immigration controls are spreading across schools, hospitals, and housing.

The “hostile environment” is based on collaboration. But it can be broken by solidarity and resistance. We are already seeing examples of refusal by some homelessness workers and campaigners; the conclusion gives some ideas for how it could spread.

 

[Gramsci]

It was a new to me that EU nationals can be deported for rough sleeping.

 

[Gramsci]

Council can't stop Immigration Enforcement from deporting people. But they don't have to make there job easier.

Rough sleepers are an easy target. Good for government wanting to show it's tough on immigration.

 

[mx wcfc]

I work in the private sector, but this sort of shit is all-encompassing. Before hiring someone, you have to check their immigration status and right to work in the UK. Failure to do so, and document it, is an offence. Actually, just failure to document it is an offence. We are all being turned into agents of the state.

Our HR people are so paranoid that they will be locked up that even long serving "obvious brits" like me, had to produce our passports a couple of years ago.

It's shit. I interviewed a chinese woman recently - I had to ring her up afterwards and ask her to come in with her papers before I could give her the job.

I believe private landlords now have to check the status of of their tenants too.

 

[CH1]

I work in the private sector, but this sort of shit is all-encompassing. Before hiring someone, you have to check their immigration status and right to work in the UK. Failure to do so, and document it, is an offence. Actually, just failure to document it is an offence. We are all being turned into agents of the state.

Our HR people are so paranoid that they will be locked up that even long serving "obvious brits" like me, had to produce our passports a couple of years ago.

It's shit. I interviewed a chinese woman recently - I had to ring her up afterwards and ask her to come in with her papers before I could give her the job.

I believe private landlords now have to check the status of of their tenants too.

Checking employment/immigration status has been mandatory since the mid 1990s.
Employers with Equality policies generally ask EVERYBODY to produce their passports nowadays I thought.

A couple of years ago I went to a job interview with Metropolitan - and had to take my passport to the interview.
Can't say if this it always the case, as this was my only job application recently that got me an interview.

 

[Gramsci]

Thing is I don't think Council had to cooperate with this government on having immigration enforcement going along with there outreach homeless workers.

 

[Gramsci]

Our new PM May was Home Office minister. Her idea was creating a "hostile environment". Which getting charities and Councils to help her thugs in Immigration Enforcement is one part.This Vice article has indepth look at what she did. She is a nasty piece of work.

Britain's Immigration Policy Is Just as Draconian as Donald Trump's 'Muslim Ban' - VICE

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I believe private landlords now have to check the status of of their tenants too.

Yes, they do. The result of this is to mean that illegal immigrants have to rent from crooked landlords who rip them off under threat of expulsion, just like they likely end up working for crooked employers who rip them off under threat of expulsion. This is, after all, the whole point of immigration legislation, boosting capitalist spivs.

 

[Gramsci]

I was chatting to a security guard a while back. Told me that he wanted to change job to get into removals. I said helping people move home? He said not that. He wanted to deport asylum seekers etc. Put them on Planes back to where they came from. I said I wouldn't want to do that. He said he love it.

I sometimes astounded how ordinary people can be right nasty bigoted pieces of work.

 

[Gramsci]

Yes, they do. The result of this is to mean that illegal immigrants have to rent from crooked landlords who rip them off under threat of expulsion, just like they likely end up working for crooked employers who rip them off under threat of expulsion. This is, after all, the whole point of immigration legislation, boosting capitalist spivs.

Not sure about this. My friend who lets out her old flat really objects to having to ask prospective tenants about there right to be here. I also know a (Capitalist) employer who thinks the same. She isn't crooked.

As my post above shows there are some Inthe working class who are anti Immigration. And find it a satisfactory job to help the Tories deport people.

Racist anti immigrant attitudes cut across class.

 

[Gramsci]

I don't care if Immigration Enforcement workers qualify as working class. They are scum.

 

[CH1]

I was chatting to a security guard a while back. Told me that he wanted to change job to get into removals. I said helping people move home? He said not that. He wanted to deport asylum seekers etc. Put them on Planes back to where they came from. I said I wouldn't want to do that. He said he love it.

I sometimes astounded how ordinary people can be right nasty bigoted pieces of work.

If he wants to do that he'll be well out of London.
The favourite "last post of call" is here: Verne IRC information

 

[Gramsci]

Update. High Court rules that Home Office deportation of homeless EU nationals unlawful.

Home Office policy to deport EU rough sleepers ruled unlawful

 

[ddraig]

I don't care if Immigration Enforcement workers qualify as working class. They are scum.

agreed
there was someone from a punk band, yes a punk band who started working for the border agency going out to get people and deport them n south Wales
they got some stick but the amount of people defending it saying "it's just a job" etc was properly shocking

 

[Gramsci]

Zubier Yazdani of Deighton Pierce Glynn solicitors, who represented the Aire centre, said: “The court has upheld the well-established definition of an abuse of rights under EU law and sent a strong message to the Home Office that its removal of rough-sleeping EU citizens is totally unlawful and discriminatory. This decision comes as a significant defeat for the Home Office in their desire to create a ‘hostile environment’ for foreign nationals.”

Matthew Evans, the Aire Centre director, said: “The court has made clear that rough sleeping cannot amount to an abuse or ‘misuse’ of free movement rights under EU or UK law … the ruling also serves as a reminder that the Home Office remains subject to the rule of laws.”

The Public Interest Law Unit welcomed the judgment: “We are delighted that the court has been willing to protect the rights of a vulnerable group of workers who have been stigmatised both by the authorities and by sections of the media.

From the Guardian article. I wonder if the Local authorities who worked with immigration enforcement could be liable as well as the government?

Hundreds of EEA nationals detained under the policy may now be entitled for compensation for unlawful detention.

 

[Gramsci]

Its a significant defeat for this government "hostile environment" policy. But now with Brexit the anti immigration lot will have there way eventually.

 

[Gramsci]

Councils like Lambeth should apologize for going along with this government policy.

 

[Pickman's model]

I work in the private sector, but this sort of shit is all-encompassing. Before hiring someone, you have to check their immigration status and right to work in the UK. Failure to do so, and document it, is an offence. Actually, just failure to document it is an offence. We are all being turned into agents of the state.

Our HR people are so paranoid that they will be locked up that even long serving "obvious brits" like me, had to produce our passports a couple of years ago.

It's shit. I interviewed a chinese woman recently - I had to ring her up afterwards and ask her to come in with her papers before I could give her the job.

I believe private landlords now have to check the status of of their tenants too.

My manager, who has worked where I do for 20 years, recently had to prove his immigration status as there was no need to when they hired him, but now *everyone* has to be squeaky clean

 

[ddraig]

My manager, who has worked where I do for 20 years, recently had to prove his immigration status as there was no need to when they hired him, but now *everyone* has to be squeaky clean

that's proper fucking insulting
ffs

 

[Pickman's model]

that's proper fucking insulting
ffs

He didn't take it well