Caritas: Giving officials the power to ask for ID is wrong

Last year, the Government announced several measures aimed at strengthening deportation levers, Radio New Zealand reported. Among them was giving immigration officers the power to ask for identity-based information from individuals they suspected were in breach of their visa conditions.

If officers find a person they are looking for, and at that residence or workplace there are others fleeing or acting suspiciously, the officers cannot act on that. The proposed change closes what the Government calls a “compliance gap” in the deportation system.

Caritas noted that these powers will be given to immigration officers, not police.

“The people most likely to be affected by this are the same people that do the essential work that keeps the country going, many of whom are already vulnerable to poverty and exploitation – RSE workers and those on temporary visas, on our farms, in our factories and in our care homes. They keep whole industries running, yet they will most likely bear the brunt of this policy if it passes into law,” Caritas stated.

“Extending the arbitrary powers of immigration officers raises the spectre of racial profiling and ignores the ugly history of the highly discriminatory 1970s dawn raids, which left the Pasifika community feeling targeted and terrorised – and for which the Government apologised in 2021. Meanwhile, experts say overstaying isn’t even a major issue in Aotearoa.

“Without clear limits, this proposed law change could open the door to more draconian enforcement of immigration laws than New Zealand actually needs.”

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Facebook (Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand)

Immigration officers to get increased powers to ask suspected overstayers for identification (Radio New Zealand)