Lewisham Blocks Help for Immigration Raids

Greens councillor Hau-Yu Tam said raids at a nail bar in Catford and a car wash in Brockley in January 2026 showed the limits of enforcement-heavy tactics. She said the Brockley operation was attended by then immigration minister Mike Tapp and a Sky News film crew, and claimed only two people were arrested, both later released on bail. She also said a nail bar was raided again a few months later and described reports that Chinese women workers were filmed, handcuffed and intimidated, though not arrested. Tam said the operations amounted to political theatre and had not made the community safer.

Labour councillor Andre Bourne said his group supported the motion, but its proposed amendment on modern slavery was defeated. Lewisham was named a Borough of Sanctuary in 2021 under the previous Labour administration, reflecting its work with people fleeing violence and persecution. Mayor Liam Shrivastava said the council’s decision would defend migrant workers against the hostile environment and argued that immigration raids spread fear and discourage victims of modern slavery and trafficking from seeking protection. Lewisham now plans to work with Lambeth and other Green-led councils on a sanctuary corridor linking migrant organisations, anti-raids networks, law centres, faith groups and community groups. The decision matters because it marks a direct local challenge to the way immigration enforcement is carried out in London.