My second time of immigration detention started on 2 November 2017 after dark on the Gold Coast. I was in my unit with my guinea pig. I do not remember what time it was but I have not closed the blinds so it must be some time between 6 and 7 pm when I heard door knocking.
I usually do not answer any door knocks. So I did not answer. But since it was two weeks since I had got a signal but not a notice, from the Department of Immigration, of a refusal of my permanent visa application, I thought they had come to pick me up. So I called my Partner and told him to start filing my judicial review application with the
Federal Court using the Court's online filing facilities. I had already written that application and gave it to my Partner with the details of instruction for him as to how to file and serve.
Door knocking continued for a while and eventually I heard the shouting voice, 'Police, Open the door'. So I went to the door and opened. There were about half a dozen or more of uniforms of all sorts pushing me to the wall in the corridor from the door and rushing into my unit. One of them said to me that they had a search warrant and would give it to me. I, in fact, was given the search warrant later.
My immediate thought was that the Department of Immigration knew that they did not have a good reason to refuse to grant me a permanent visa so that they concocted some allegation to justify their refusal. The police in this country seem to be good at doing that, particularly the Australian Federal Police. I read someone wrote about the Federal Minister of Justice as 'a supplier of terrorist suspects on demand'.
But the uniforms told me that they had come to search for my passport. They looked into my briefcase where I kept my certificates, old ID cards etc but seem to have given up shortly.
I asked them to allow me to give a call to arrange the rescue of my guinea pig and called my Parter. I told him that he had to arrange a rescue of my little guinea pig as planned and also that they came to search my passport so that he had to immediately file my Court application and give a call to the Registrar to prevent the immediate deportation. Of course, one of the uniforms took my phone away and hang up as soon as I mentioned the court application. The uniforms in this country hate the courts.
The uniforms told me that I would go to detention so that I had to pack up my stuff in ten minutes. Two female uniforms instructed that I pack my toothbrush and toothpaste. I followed the instructions. Of course, later when I arrived in the detention centre, I was told that a toothbrush was not allowed to bring in. Those two females also told me that I should take precious stuff with me so I have my degree here. But I honestly do not know what to do with it in detention. A male uniform told me that I had to take the whole briefcase with me even though I told him that I only needed some of the documents in it but not the entire heavy briefcase. Of course, later when I arrived in
the detention centre, I was told that there was the limit for the weight of the stuff I could keep in the detention centre and my stuff exceeded the limit.
After ten minutes, I was taken to the Police van and to a Police Station near my unit. No handcuffs, no fuss. But a large number of uniforms.
There, I only saw the Australian Border Force uniforms and Serco people although the two female uniforms came to my unit were from the Police. I think I saw some of the uniforms in my unit wearing the vest indicating AFP. But I am not sure. The majority of the uniforms came to my unit were from the Australian Border Force. The warrant was issued by the Department of Immigration under the Migration Act 1958. So the raid was the operation of the Department of Immigration. They obviously have too much money and time to spend given that I am even not a national interest.
I usually do not answer any door knocks. So I did not answer. But since it was two weeks since I had got a signal but not a notice, from the Department of Immigration, of a refusal of my permanent visa application, I thought they had come to pick me up. So I called my Partner and told him to start filing my judicial review application with the
Federal Court using the Court's online filing facilities. I had already written that application and gave it to my Partner with the details of instruction for him as to how to file and serve.
Door knocking continued for a while and eventually I heard the shouting voice, 'Police, Open the door'. So I went to the door and opened. There were about half a dozen or more of uniforms of all sorts pushing me to the wall in the corridor from the door and rushing into my unit. One of them said to me that they had a search warrant and would give it to me. I, in fact, was given the search warrant later.
My immediate thought was that the Department of Immigration knew that they did not have a good reason to refuse to grant me a permanent visa so that they concocted some allegation to justify their refusal. The police in this country seem to be good at doing that, particularly the Australian Federal Police. I read someone wrote about the Federal Minister of Justice as 'a supplier of terrorist suspects on demand'.
But the uniforms told me that they had come to search for my passport. They looked into my briefcase where I kept my certificates, old ID cards etc but seem to have given up shortly.
I asked them to allow me to give a call to arrange the rescue of my guinea pig and called my Parter. I told him that he had to arrange a rescue of my little guinea pig as planned and also that they came to search my passport so that he had to immediately file my Court application and give a call to the Registrar to prevent the immediate deportation. Of course, one of the uniforms took my phone away and hang up as soon as I mentioned the court application. The uniforms in this country hate the courts.
The uniforms told me that I would go to detention so that I had to pack up my stuff in ten minutes. Two female uniforms instructed that I pack my toothbrush and toothpaste. I followed the instructions. Of course, later when I arrived in the detention centre, I was told that a toothbrush was not allowed to bring in. Those two females also told me that I should take precious stuff with me so I have my degree here. But I honestly do not know what to do with it in detention. A male uniform told me that I had to take the whole briefcase with me even though I told him that I only needed some of the documents in it but not the entire heavy briefcase. Of course, later when I arrived in
the detention centre, I was told that there was the limit for the weight of the stuff I could keep in the detention centre and my stuff exceeded the limit.
After ten minutes, I was taken to the Police van and to a Police Station near my unit. No handcuffs, no fuss. But a large number of uniforms.
There, I only saw the Australian Border Force uniforms and Serco people although the two female uniforms came to my unit were from the Police. I think I saw some of the uniforms in my unit wearing the vest indicating AFP. But I am not sure. The majority of the uniforms came to my unit were from the Australian Border Force. The warrant was issued by the Department of Immigration under the Migration Act 1958. So the raid was the operation of the Department of Immigration. They obviously have too much money and time to spend given that I am even not a national interest.