BREAKING: They came in the middle of the night…

They came for him in the middle of the night.

In the early hours of Friday morning a man was dragged from his bed in the Broadmeadows MITA, cuffed and flown to Nauru. It is yet another distressing escalation in our Government’s endless attacks on people seeking asylum.

“The deportation is the latest depravity to be meted out to people seeking asylum by an increasingly unconscionable government,” said Kon Karapangiotidis, CEO of the ASRC.

“The Turnbull Government has chosen to abandon decency. Acting in secrecy, in the dead of night, without informing lawyers or advocates that this man was being deported – these are not the actions of a government that values decency, compassion and respect.”

“It is important that people seeking asylum in our community understand that the Government cannot just deport them on a whim.”

“There are hundreds of people in our community, including more than 100 children and babies, who came to Australia after suffering serious harm on Nauru and Manus. This group includes more than 40 babies who were born in Australia, but who are not considered due to our Government’s retrospective legal changes.”

“Many people will now be terrified that they are at risk of being sent to harm on Nauru. We need to reassure these families, and all people seeking asylum in the community that they cannot just be disappeared in the middle of the night,” said Kon.

“People inside MITA are terrified,” said Natasha Blucher, ASRC Detention Advocate.

“They were woken up at 2am to the sound of this man screaming in terror as he was dragged from his bed, in his boxer shorts, cuffed him and forced into a van. It was a horrifying moment for everyone.”

“People in detention are anxious already, many have a history of trauma and many have been in detention for more than three years – now they are being awoken to the sounds of screaming in the night. It is an appalling way to treat people.”

“There are also people in our community, kids in schools, families in church groups, who all just want to get on with their lives and build a future and contribute to our communities. That our Government chooses to leave so many living in limbo is an indictment.”

Coming on the back of last weekend’s announcement that the Turnbull Government will attempt to pass laws that forever ban some people seeking asylum from ever setting foot in this country, this latest assault by our Government on these vulnerable people should galvanise our community to demand change.

We need people to stand for their values and call on their MPs and Senators to act with decency and respect. Our politicians need to hear that the community supports the fair treatment of people seeking asylum.