SNP MSPs are demanding an end to the “inhumane” practice of dawn raids by the UK Border Agency following the enforced removal of a family from their home in Glasgow’s Southside which resulted in a woman, who 31 weeks pregnant, being hospitalised.
Gulnaz Bota, her husband Shahid and their two children (10 and two-years-old) are currently being detained in Cedars Detention Centre, it is unclear what the Home Office now plan to do with them.
Christina McKelvie MSP has written to the Home Secretary Theresa May calling for her to immediately put a stop to dawn raids in Scotland.
She said:
“There is no place for this kind of inhumane practice in a modern Scotland. I really feel sick for the Bota family who have had to go through this terrifying experience and I hope they are returned to Glasgow as soon as possible.
“Storming into people’s homes in the middle of the night is completely unnecessary. For it to happen to a pregnant woman is completely despicable and this practice must stop immediately.
“We all accept that it is important to have an effective immigration and asylum system but dawn raids, particularly where children and pregnant woman are involved, are not acceptable.”
Humza Yousaf, MSP for Glasgow, added:
“We were promised that dawn raids were a thing of the past but once again the UK Government has shown to be wanting. It seems the UKBA, under the instructions of the Home Office, are happy to snatch kids from the warmth of their beds and deport them to detention centres in England – we have a duty to stand against this hypocrisy.
“I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure these inhumane dawn raids become a thing of the past.”