We — employers, colleagues, friends, members of various communities and organisations across Malta — are uniting in solidarity with five detained men. We are calling for urgent action from the authorities to release them from detention and create a pathway for long-standing members of our communities to regularise their status.

Five men are currently detained at the Safi Detention Centre following government raids on Malta’s well-established Ethiopian community. For the better part of two decades these men have built their lives here, working legally, paying social security and taxes, filling labour gaps and contributing to the growth of our economy. They developed a network of friends, family, and colleagues and are a valuable part of our social fabric. They currently face the prospect of being forcibly deported to Ethiopia, a country they have long left behind, where they face the risk of persecution.

We stand against government raids on private residences that disappear people from our communities under the cover of night. These raids expose the most vulnerable, children and the elderly amongst them, to acts of state violence and force undocumented persons, many of whom have lived here for decades, to live in fear and uncertainty.

The employers amongst us oppose government raids on our places of business and the sudden detention and deportation of essential members of our staff. We respectfully ask that the authorities recognise that long-term migrants make-up an invaluable part of our workforce. An employer of one of the detained men noted that “he demonstrated unwavering commitment to both his community and his workplace. He has paid taxes consistently and contributed positively to the local economy, proving himself to be a law-abiding and responsible member of society. In his time here, he has built strong relationships and integrated fully, living an honest life that reflects his dedication to the values of this country. We respectfully ask for your understanding and compassion in reviewing his case. His removal would not only be a significant loss to our organisation but also to the community that has benefited from his hard work, loyalty, and integrity.”

There is also no doubt that these raids and deportations are a product of ill-considered policy. The amount of institutional energy and tax-payer euros that has been expended to round up and attempt to deport five men is near incalculable. How much of our tax euros will the government have spent in an effort to deport one of these men? What we are witnessing is not a product of well-considered government policy, but rather an expensive theatrical performance by which the authorities aim to pander to xenophobic elements.

We cannot abide and standby as the authorities raid homes and disappear our friends and our colleagues. Their place is with us.

For these reasons and more, we demand urgent action from the authorities to:

1. Immediately release these five men from detention;
2. halt the raids that target long-standing members of our community and spread fear amongst the most vulnerable;
3. provide a pathway for long-standing members of our community that remain undocumented to regularise their status;
4. and recognize the significant contribution that many migrants have made to our society and economy and provide them with stability rather than undermine them with uncertainty.

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Posthom Magħna fil-Komunità – Il-Maltin magħqudin b’solidarjetà mal-komunità tal-migranti

Aħna — min iħaddem, kollegi, ħbieb, membri ta’ diversi komunitajiet u organizzazzjonijiet madwar Malta — qed ningħaqdu b’solidarjetà ma’ ħamest irġiel li jinsabu detenuti. Qed nappellaw lill-awtoritajiet biex jieħdu azzjoni urġenti u jeħilsuhom mid-detenzjoni, filwaqt li jwittu t-triq biex membri tal-komunitajiet tagħna li ilhom f’Malta għal tul ta’ żmien ikunu jistgħu jirregolarizzaw l-istatus tagħhom.

Ħamest irġiel bħalissa jinsabu miżmuma fiċ-Ċentru ta’ Detenzjoni ta’ Ħal Safi wara rejds li għamel il-Gvern fuq il-komunità Etjopjana, li ilha stabbilita f’Malta. Għall-biċċa l-kbira ta’ żewġ deċennji, dawn l-irġiel bnew ħajjithom hawn, ħadmu legalment, ħallsu s-sigurtà soċjali u t-taxxi, imlew il-lakuni fil-qasam tax-xogħol u taw kontribut għat-tkabbir tal-ekonomija tagħna. Huma żviluppaw network ta’ ħbieb, familjari u kollegi u jiffurmaw parti integrali mit-tessut soċjali tagħna. Bħalissa qed jaffaċċjaw ir-riskju li jiġu deportati kontra qalbhom lejn l-Etjopja, pajjiż li ilhom li telqu warajhom, u li fih hemm ir-riskju ta’ persekuzzjoni.

Aħna ningħaqdu kontra r-rejds tal-Gvern fuq residenzi privati li jisparixxu lil persuni mill-komunitajiet tagħna f’nofs ta’ lejl. Dawn ir-rejds jesponu lill-aktar persuni vulnerabbli, fosthom tfal u anzjani, għal atti ta’ vjolenza mill-istat, u jġiegħlu lil persuni li m’għandhomx dokumenti, u li ħafna minnhom ilhom jgħixu hawnhekk għexieren ta’ snin, jgħixu fil-biża’ u fl-inċertezza.

Dawk fostna li jħaddmu qed jopponu r-rejds tal-Gvern fil-postijiet tan-negozju, u d-detenzjoni u d-deportazzjoni ħesrem ta’ impjegati essenzjali. B’rispett nitolbu li l-awtoritajiet jirrikonoxxu li l-migranti li ilhom hawn għal tul ta’ żmien jiffurmaw parti imprezzabbli mill-forza tax-xogħol tagħna. Persuna li tħaddem lil wieħed mill-irġiel detenuti nnotat li “r-raġel wera impenn bla waqfien kemm lejn il-komunità tiegħu kif ukoll lejn il-post tax-xogħol tiegħu. Huwa ħallas it-taxxi b’mod konsistenti u kkontribwixxa b’mod pożittiv għall-ekonomija lokali, u wera li huwa membru tas-soċjetà responsabbli li josserva l-liġi. Fiż-żmien tiegħu hawn, bena relazzjonijiet b’saħħithom u integra mal-oħrajn bis-sħiħ, u għex ħajja onesta li tirrifletti d-dedikazzjoni tiegħu għall-valuri ta’ dan il-pajjiż. Nitolbu għall-mogħdrija u l-kompassjoni meta jiġi eżaminat il-każ tiegħu. It-tneħħija tiegħu mhux biss tkun telf sinifikanti għall-organizzazzjoni tagħna iżda wkoll għall-komunità li bbenefikat mix-xogħol iebes, il-lealtà, u l-integrità tiegħu.” 

M’hemmx dubju wkoll li dawn ir-rejds u deportazzjonijiet huma prodott ta’ politika mhux maħsuba sew. L-ammont ta’ enerġija istituzzjonali u flus ħerġin mit-taxxi tagħna li ntefqu biex jiġbru u jippruvaw jiddeportaw ħamest irġiel huwa kważi inkalkulabbli. Kemm se jkun nefaq ewro mit-taxxi tagħna l-Gvern biex jipprova jiddeporta wieħed minn dawn l-irġiel? Dak li qed naraw mhuwiex prodott ta’ politika tal-Gvern meqjusa, iżda teatrin għali li bih l-awtoritajiet qed jippruvaw jirrispondu għal elementi ksenofobiċi. 

Ma nistgħux naċċettaw dan kollu u noqogħdu kwieti waqt li l-awtoritajiet jagħmlu r-rejds fid-djar u jisparixxu lil sħabna u l-kollegi tagħna. Posthom huwa magħna.

Għal dawn ir-raġunijiet u aktar, nitolbu azzjoni urġenti mill-awtoritajiet biex:

1. dawn il-ħamest irġiel jinħelsu minnufih mid-detenzjoni;
2. jitwaqqfu r-rejds fuq membri li ilhom fil-komunità tagħna għal tul ta’ żmien, li jxerrdu l-biża’ fost dawk l-aktar vulnerabbli;
3. iwittu t-triq biex membri li ilhom fil-komunità tagħna għal tul ta’ żmien u li għadhom mhumiex dokumentati ikunu jistgħu jirregolarizzaw l-istatus tagħhom;
4. u jirrikonoxxu l-kontribut sinifikanti li ħafna migranti taw lis-soċjetà u lill-ekonomija tagħna filwaqt li jipprovdulhom l-istabbiltà flok jimminawhom bl-inċertezza.