Sex workers from across the nation will rally in Sydney tomorrow in protest of Australian Border Force raids they say “target migrant and Asian sex workers under the guise of “immigration compliance.”

From the release:

The rally will held at Belmore Park, Sydney, on Tuesday 28 October from 4:00 to 6:00 pm and calls on the federal government to:

• End racially targeted “compliance” operations and workplace raids;
• Establish fair visa pathways for migrant workers;
• End racial profiling at the border; and
• Close offshore detention centres like Nauru, allowing people awaiting visa outcomes to live safely in the community.

Organised by Scarlet Alliance, the Asian Migrant Sex Worker Advisory Group, and SWOP NSW, the action responds to what organisers describe as an “ongoing campaign of intimidation and racialised policing” against Asian migrant sex workers.

This is not about compliance – it’s about power, racism, and the denial of basic human rights,” said Bee, a spokesperson for the Asian Migrant Sex Worker Advisory Group.

Armed officers storming our workplaces don’t protect anyone. They terrify workers and push our communities further underground.”

Scarlet Alliance, which advocates for sex workers in Australia, including by providing assistance and support when needed, says Border Force raids on sex industry workplaces have “intensified in recent years [and are] now occurring almost weekly”.

Bee says the community “has endured armed officers staking out our workplaces, confiscating phones, and even denying us translators during raids”,” said Bee.”.

These raids make us too scared to seek help from police when we experience violence. How can we trust authorities who treat us like criminals?”