How to Fight the Hostile Environment
How communities can resist immigration raids and defend their neighbours.
By Anti Raids Brighton. Illustration by Rory Robertson-Shaw.
The Hostile Environment policy was introduced first under the Cameron government in 2012. The idea was to make the process of immigrating to the UK so laborious, so humiliating, and so hostile that people would ‘voluntarily leave’.
The Hostile Environment manifests itself in many ways—the absolute poverty people are forced to live in whilst waiting on their asylum claim to be processed, the dire state of immigration detention facilities, the state's ability to detain people within those facilities indefinitely, and the constant threat of immigration raids looming over migrant communities. Don’t kid yourself; this is not an accident brought about by negligence, this is a cruel and deliberate policy.
Opposing the Hostile Environment should be top of your priorities if you believe that all migrants are human beings who have the right to dignity and prosperity. But up against a vast system unlikely to change anytime soon, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s where Anti-Raids Networks come in. One of the most useful things you can do to counter the Hostile Environment is learn how to stop immigration raids.
Lots of raids don’t end in the liberation of a human trafficking ring, despite what you’ve seen on TV. Instead, it's people at their homes or place of work, or simply going about their day, being abducted by a government official. I use the word abducted because most arrests conducted at raids don’t end in a genuine deportation case. People are being detained without cause. It’s not illegal not to have your visa or paperwork to hand, and frankly, it's ridiculous to expect people to do so. Immigration Raids, in many cases, are a form of targeted racial profiling and harassment. When the Brighton Anti-Raids network goes down to raids, what we see are people not knowing their rights, which the border force knows and uses to their advantage to make illegal arrests
When people think of opposing raids, they often think of the incident in Edinburgh in 2022, where crowds filled Nicolson Square to prevent their neighbours from being taken by immigration officers. But large, physical responses to raids don't happen without the essential work of know-your-rights training, whether in person or distributed through leaflets and posters.
If the reader is unaware of their legal rights when encountering an immigration officer, this is what you need to know: 1. You don’t have to tell them anything. Seriously! Unless you’ve been told in explicit terms that you are under arrest, you do not have to talk to an officer, give them personal details, or explain your visa status. 2. You can leave. Again, unless you’re actually being arrested, you are free to walk away from the situation. 3. Ask ‘under what power’. Cops lie constantly. Immigration officers lie constantly. Their focus is on improving their statistics. So if you are told you are being detained, make sure that they are specific about why they are holding you. If they say ‘it’s the law, mate’, ask which law, and how it applies here.
I’m not pretending that you don’t have to be brave to do this. Which is why action from non-migrants is so important. It’s why Anti-Raids networks exist. So when a raid is underway, a community can come together to support one another and prevent harassment and illegal arrests.
Building a network of informed individuals who would be able to step in when witnessing a raid and amass quickly was our goal when first organising Anti-Raids Brighton in 2023. It started with about five people in a room, and now we have a network of over 500 people watching the city for immigration raids. Someone can spot immigration enforcement vans down one end of the city and shout it out in the chat. From there, people can get down to the site of the raid and try to step in.
We tell people when they spot a raid happening that firstly, they should start filming it. Try not to film anyone being detained; instead, focus on the officers and try to get their badge numbers. Officers are more likely to follow due process if their misconduct can be documented. Secondly, tell the person their rights and offer to leave the area with them. Third, call for help. If you have an Anti-Raids group local to you (which is more likely than you might think), contact them on social media, or just shout into the street, “This is a raid, someone is being detained illegally.” Your best bet is strength in numbers. It might seem impossible, but Anti-Raids networks exist all over the country, even in smaller cities like Chichester and Canterbury.
These tactics are effective. We can’t interfere with every raid, but the more people involved and the more people know their rights when encountering raids, the harder it is for immigration enforcement to do their job. More importantly, we build a feeling of solidarity in the city. People know we look out for each other and aren’t going to stand by while migrants are harassed in our ‘City of Sanctuary’.
If you take anything away from this article (other than a firmer understanding of your legal rights), I hope it's that everyone has something they could contribute to a network like ours, and that setting up a similar network in your area is one of the best ways to help combat the Hostile Environment.
Most of our work is tracking raids, printing flyers and talking to local people about their rights. Everything else is the momentum brought by the community, and it will never stop making me smile at how many people want to get involved. We have groups from all over the South East and beyond reaching out for advice on getting started.
Get involved, you will be surprised at how powerful one person taking action can be.
Anti Raids Brighton builds resistance to immigration raids, and supports migrants and refugees.
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