2 May 2023

More questions for immigration over dawn raids case - Carmel Sepuloni

From Morning Report, 7:09 am on 2 May 2023

The Associate Immigration Minister is assessing an immigration decision to detain a Pasifika man in a dawn raid who's accused of overstaying his visa.

Police knocked on the man's door at 5am, scaring his wife and children, before taking him into custody.

Almost two years ago the government apologised for the dawn raids of the 1970s, saying it was a discriminatory implementation of immigration laws.

The Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, says he's concerned and he doesn't expect dawn raid tactics to be used anymore.

But Immigation New Zealand has admitted they still do dawn raids to arrest overstayers and there've been about 18 such arrests between July and April this year.

Hipkins is flying to the United Kingdom today for the King's Coronation, but in his place deputy prime minister, Carmel Sepuloni spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.