Family protest vigil blocks asylum raid

A DAWN raid by Home Office officials was yesterday abandoned because the family members being targeted were taking part in a protest outside their home.

Immigration officials arrived at a block of flats in the Glasgow area to find protesters staging a vigil.

The group had gathered at Kingsway Court in Scotstoun in the early hours over the removal of two asylum seeking families in the past week.

It is understood that the United Kingdom Immigration Service (UKIS) officials entered the flat where the Uzuns, a family of Turkish Kurds seeking asylum, lived.

But they were unable to remove anyone because only the children were at home and minors cannot be detained unless their parents are with them.

Most of the family were believed to have been involved in the protest outside.

The news comes after the First Minister, Jack McConnell, vowed to find out why a protocol on raids had not been fully implemented.

The Scottish Executive and Home Office had discussed improvements in how failed asylum seeker families should be treated.

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said: "Any operation requiring the removal of a family from the UK is carefully risk-assessed, with all health and safety factors being properly considered.

"This includes liaising with police on community issues before any action is taken.

"We also take the welfare of children extremely seriously, and in dealing with families it is never the initial intention of UKIS to remove parents without their children. Every attempt is made to detain and remove families together.

"In extremely rare cases families seek to frustrate removal by separating parents from their children."