We have news coming in this evening of 13 arrests being made outside an immigration centre in Solihull.
According to reports from activists, the arrests were made outside Home Office reporting centre Sandford House in Homer Road just after 9.00pm, where campaigners have been protesting throughout the day against a government operation launched today (Monday 28) to hold asylum seekers who turn up for routine meetings at immigration service offices as part of a surprise two-week exercise.
Our reporter was on the scene just before the arrests were made and spoke to activist Zahid Ali, who described the Rwanda plan as a form of “dehumanisation”.
“Some of them [asylum seekers] are actually during that process actually being detained and are potentially going to be detained and put on flights to Rwanda, some of them, so we’re here to protest against that.
“Some of us are committed enough that they’re going to block vans holding anyone being detained to stop them being detained and deported to detention centres such as Yarl’s Wood and then potentially deported to Rwanda.”
In videos seen by I Am Birmingham of the arrests, police officers can be seen citing the Section 14 of the Public Order Act before removing protesters from outside the Home Office centre, forcefully dragging them by their hands and feet.
Officers were filmed demanding activists “stay back” as protesters can be heard chanting “Let them go!”
Expressing their anger to I Am Birmingham – one of the first media outlets on the scene – protesters on the ground have described the arrests as “deplorable”.
West Midlands Police have been contacted for comment.
This is a breaking news story, updates to follow.