Dawn raid
Encyclopedia
A police raid or dawn raid is a visit by the police
, immigration
officers or other officials in the early morning, hoping to use the element of surprise
to arrest targets that they think may hide evidence, resist arrest, be politically sensitive, or simply be elsewhere during the day.
by the police, e.g. to arrest and deport foreign families whose bids for political asylum have been rejected.
, New Zealand
during a crackdown on illegal overstayer
s from the Pacific Islands from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s. The raids were associated with the policies of the Muldoon government.
In January 2007 Ruth Turner was arrested in a dawn raid as part of the investigation into the Cash for Peerages
affair. Senior Labour politicians criticised the move, however their concern at this has been contrasted by their lack of concern at other dawn raids.
In September 2005, Manuelo Bravo took his own life following a dawn raid. He and his son (13) were detained in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
where he had been threatened with deportation
to Angola
, where he feared his life was in danger as other family members had been killed there.
Dawn raids have become a regular feature in the arrest of asylum seekers in Scotland. These have caused a great deal of controversy and pressure has been brought to bear on the Scottish Executive
to end the practise. Several support groups have been set up to oppose the practice of dawn raids, including the Glasgow Girls
, the UNITY centre in Ibrox and No Border Network
which campaigns under the slogan of "No one is illegal".
There has been speculation that the practice may be coming to an end for asylum seekers following criticisms from a wide range of people. On 1 February 2007 the deputy First Minister, Nichol Stephen condemned the practise of dawn raids describing them as "unacceptable and unnecessary. Some have speculated that this is part of a wider change in tactics on the issue of asylum, moving away from dawn raiding asylum seekers, to detaining families at reporting centres, however dawn raids have continued.
In 2002, Yurdugal Ay and her children were suddenly removed from their home by immigration officials and taken to Dungavel
detention centre in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. They were all put together in one room where they lived for a year.
In September 2005, Isen and Nexhi Vucaj were dawn raided together with their three teenage children. They were taken to Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
before being deported to Albania
On the 8th February 2006, Lutfu and Gultan Akyol and their two children, aged 10 and 6 were dawn raided after home office
officials battered down their door. They were taken to Dungavel
following the raid
In June 2006 Sakchai Makao, a 23 year old man from Thailand was dawn raided in Lerwick
. A third of the Shetland Island population signed a petition to have him released. He was eventually released two weeks later.. The campaign to free him later won the Scottish politician of the year
award.
On the 12th July 2006, Servat and Sakine Temel and their three children were dawn raided and taken to England awaiting deportation to Turkey
.
In September 2006, Azzadine Benai escaped during a dawn raid on his home which saw his wife and two children (11 and 2) detained, by jumping out of a first floor window as he feared he would be killed if he was returned to Algeria
. After a public outcry, his wife and children, both of whom require ongoing medical treatment were released
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/5392208.stm
On the 2nd October 2006, Caritas Sony and her two children Heaven (2) and Glad (4 months) were dawn raided with a metal battering ram. They were taken to Dungavel
prior to intended deportation
to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Caritas had been raped and tortured before fleeing to the UK.. After a strong campaign, Caritas and her family were eventually released.
On 3 October 2006, the Uzun family managed to avoid being detained during a dawn raid, as they were absent at the time. They had gone to demonstrate solidarity with Caritas Sony
On 4 October 2006, Cem and Betsy Coban together with their two children aged 14 and 3 were dawn raided. Cem Cobain threatened to jump from the balcony of his 20th storey flat rather than be deported to an uncertain future in Turkey
, however after 3 hours of negotiations with Strathclyde Police
he was eventually led away by immigration officials. His wife Betsy was taken to hospital with complications related to a heart condition.
On 19 March 2007, Max and Onoya Waku and their three children aged 14, 11 and 4 were dawn raided by immigration officers and taken to Dungavel
detention centre. They were later released.
begins with a dawn raid.
Morrissey
's song "Friday Mourning" references a dawn-raid, "This dawn-raid soon put paid to all the things I'd whispered to you"
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
officers or other officials in the early morning, hoping to use the element of surprise
Surprise
Surprise may refer to:* Surprise , a brief emotional state experienced as the result of an unexpected significant event-Places:* Surprise, Arizona* Surprise, Indiana* Surprise, Nebraska* Surprise Station, California or Surprise, California...
to arrest targets that they think may hide evidence, resist arrest, be politically sensitive, or simply be elsewhere during the day.
Germany
Dawn raids are carried out in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by the police, e.g. to arrest and deport foreign families whose bids for political asylum have been rejected.
New Zealand
Dawn raids were a common event in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
during a crackdown on illegal overstayer
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
s from the Pacific Islands from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s. The raids were associated with the policies of the Muldoon government.
Politicians
- Ruth TurnerRuth Turner (political advisor)Ruth Turner , was formerly Director of Government Relations within Tony Blair's Downing Street office.-Biography:...
In January 2007 Ruth Turner was arrested in a dawn raid as part of the investigation into the Cash for Peerages
Cash for Peerages
Cash for Honours is the name given by some in the media to a political scandal in the United Kingdom in 2006 and 2007 concerning the connection between political donations and the award of life peerages...
affair. Senior Labour politicians criticised the move, however their concern at this has been contrasted by their lack of concern at other dawn raids.
Asylum-seekers
- Manuelo Bravo
In September 2005, Manuelo Bravo took his own life following a dawn raid. He and his son (13) were detained in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention centre at Milton Ernest in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire. It opened on 19 November 2001 and was built to hold up to 900 people making it the largest immigration detention centre in Europe at the time. Since opening in 2001...
where he had been threatened with deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
to Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, where he feared his life was in danger as other family members had been killed there.
Asylum-seekers
Dawn raids have become a regular feature in the arrest of asylum seekers in Scotland. These have caused a great deal of controversy and pressure has been brought to bear on the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
to end the practise. Several support groups have been set up to oppose the practice of dawn raids, including the Glasgow Girls
Glasgow Girls (activists)
The Glasgow Girls are a group of seven young women in Glasgow, Scotland, who have highlighted the poor treatment of failed asylum seekers. Named by two of its members Amal Azzudin and Roza Salih, the group was established by the group who were all members of Drumchapel High School in Glasgow in...
, the UNITY centre in Ibrox and No Border Network
No Border network
The No Border Network refers to loose associations of autonomous organisations, groups, and individuals in Western Europe, Eastern Europe and beyond...
which campaigns under the slogan of "No one is illegal".
There has been speculation that the practice may be coming to an end for asylum seekers following criticisms from a wide range of people. On 1 February 2007 the deputy First Minister, Nichol Stephen condemned the practise of dawn raids describing them as "unacceptable and unnecessary. Some have speculated that this is part of a wider change in tactics on the issue of asylum, moving away from dawn raiding asylum seekers, to detaining families at reporting centres, however dawn raids have continued.
- Ay familyAy familyThe Ay family were Kurdish asylum seekers who became the centre of a controversy in 2003 surrounding the policy of locking up children in high security detention centres in the United Kingdom....
In 2002, Yurdugal Ay and her children were suddenly removed from their home by immigration officials and taken to Dungavel
Dungavel
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
detention centre in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. They were all put together in one room where they lived for a year.
- Vucaj Family
In September 2005, Isen and Nexhi Vucaj were dawn raided together with their three teenage children. They were taken to Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre
Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention centre at Milton Ernest in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire. It opened on 19 November 2001 and was built to hold up to 900 people making it the largest immigration detention centre in Europe at the time. Since opening in 2001...
before being deported to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
- Akyol Family
On the 8th February 2006, Lutfu and Gultan Akyol and their two children, aged 10 and 6 were dawn raided after home office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
officials battered down their door. They were taken to Dungavel
Dungavel
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
following the raid
- Sakchai MakaoSakchai MakaoSakchai Makao is a Thailand native who moved in 1993 to the islands of Shetland in Scotland. Sakchai was 10 years old at the time. In 2004 Sakchai was involved in crime which led to him being charged and convicted of “wilful fire-raising”...
In June 2006 Sakchai Makao, a 23 year old man from Thailand was dawn raided in Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
. A third of the Shetland Island population signed a petition to have him released. He was eventually released two weeks later.. The campaign to free him later won the Scottish politician of the year
Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year is an annual award established in 1999. It is held by The Herald newspaper in Prestonfield, Edinburgh, Scotland....
award.
- Temel Family
On the 12th July 2006, Servat and Sakine Temel and their three children were dawn raided and taken to England awaiting deportation to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
- Benai Family
In September 2006, Azzadine Benai escaped during a dawn raid on his home which saw his wife and two children (11 and 2) detained, by jumping out of a first floor window as he feared he would be killed if he was returned to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. After a public outcry, his wife and children, both of whom require ongoing medical treatment were released
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/5392208.stm
- Sony Family
On the 2nd October 2006, Caritas Sony and her two children Heaven (2) and Glad (4 months) were dawn raided with a metal battering ram. They were taken to Dungavel
Dungavel
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
prior to intended deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Caritas had been raped and tortured before fleeing to the UK.. After a strong campaign, Caritas and her family were eventually released.
- Uzun Family
On 3 October 2006, the Uzun family managed to avoid being detained during a dawn raid, as they were absent at the time. They had gone to demonstrate solidarity with Caritas Sony
- Coban Family
On 4 October 2006, Cem and Betsy Coban together with their two children aged 14 and 3 were dawn raided. Cem Cobain threatened to jump from the balcony of his 20th storey flat rather than be deported to an uncertain future in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, however after 3 hours of negotiations with Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police
Strathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
he was eventually led away by immigration officials. His wife Betsy was taken to hospital with complications related to a heart condition.
- Waku Family
On 19 March 2007, Max and Onoya Waku and their three children aged 14, 11 and 4 were dawn raided by immigration officers and taken to Dungavel
Dungavel
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House...
detention centre. They were later released.
United States
Dawn raids are a tactic used by law enforcement agencies in the United States. High-profile dawn raids include- the April 22, 2000, apprehension of Elián Gonzalez by a Border PatrolUnited States Border PatrolThe United States Border Patrol is a federal law enforcement agency within U.S. Customs and Border Protection , a component of the Department of Homeland Security . It is an agency in the Department of Homeland Security that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to...
BORTACBORTACBORTAC is an initialism for the United States "Border Patrol Tactical Unit". BORTAC is the paramilitary arm of the United States Border Patrol.-Mission:...
team in Florida. - the arrest of Rod BlagojevichRod BlagojevichRod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
on corruption charges
Cultural references
Kafka's book The TrialThe Trial
The Trial is a novel by Franz Kafka, first published in 1925. One of Kafka's best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor the reader.Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial was never...
begins with a dawn raid.
Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
's song "Friday Mourning" references a dawn-raid, "This dawn-raid soon put paid to all the things I'd whispered to you"
See also
- Glasgow Girls (activists)Glasgow Girls (activists)The Glasgow Girls are a group of seven young women in Glasgow, Scotland, who have highlighted the poor treatment of failed asylum seekers. Named by two of its members Amal Azzudin and Roza Salih, the group was established by the group who were all members of Drumchapel High School in Glasgow in...
- Pre-dawn raidPre-dawn raidA pre-dawn raid refers to a military tactic that involves a group of people, usually military personnel, raiding a location in order to gain an upper hand in combat, retrieve an important document or file, or capture a specific person...
- UNITY (asylum seekers organisation)UNITY (asylum seekers organisation)UNITY is a union of by asylum seekers established in the Glasgow, Scotland, in 2005 to ensure that the human rights of asylum seekers and sans papiers in the UK are upheld...