A file variety of unlawful employee arrests and raids have been carried out by the Dwelling Workplace prior to now 18 months.
The variety of raids has elevated by 77% since July 2024, when Labour got here to energy, which has led to an 83% rise in arrests, in response to authorities figures.
Greater than 17,400 raids have been carried out by the Dwelling Workplace’s immigration enforcement groups on companies equivalent to nail bars, automobile washes, barbers and takeaway outlets.
This led to greater than 12,300 arrests of these making an attempt to undercut employees and “conceal in plain sight”, the federal government stated.
The Dwelling Workplace stated it was the very best variety of arrests and raids of unlawful employees and people enabling unlawful working since information started in 2019.
Ministers consider the crackdown will assist scale back the pull components encouraging folks to enter the UK illegally and making an attempt to say asylum.
Dwelling Secretary Shabana Mahmood
Dwelling Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated: ”There isn’t a place for unlawful working in our communities.
“That’s the reason we now have surged enforcement exercise to the very best stage in British historical past so unlawful migrants within the black financial system have nowhere to cover.
“I’ll cease at nothing to revive order and management to our borders.”
London, the West Midlands and the South West have seen the very best variety of unlawful working arrests.
Greater than 2,100 arrests have been made in London final yr, a 47% rise in contrast with 2024.
The West Midlands and the South West each had greater than 1,100 arrests – a 76% and a 91% rise respectively.
Of the overall arrests, 1,726 folks have been returned to the nations they got here from, up 35% on the 1,283 faraway from visits within the earlier 18-month interval.
Learn extra:
Ex-Tory chancellor Nadhim Zahawi latest to join Reform
UK has no defence plan despite threat from Putin’s Russia
Officers arresting a nail bar proprietor in Belfast. Pic: Dwelling Workplace
The raids have included officers arresting 13 folks at a warehouse in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, on 25 November, which led to 11 Brazilian and Romanian nationals being detained for removing from the UK.
On 16 December, 30 Indian and Albanian males have been arrested at a development web site in Swindon, Wiltshire. Almost all them have been detained for removing.
The record-breaking enforcement motion comes simply over two months after Ms Mahmood stated her division was “not but match for function”.
She stated a crackdown on tackling migrants working illegally within the UK was “beginning to work” however criticised enforcement of unlawful working guidelines underneath the earlier Conservative authorities.
Immigration enforcement was given £5m to arrest, detain and take away migrants working illegally, and officers have been sporting body-worn cameras since September to assist publicise arrests and prosecutions.
Tighter right-to-work checks have additionally been launched so informal, momentary or subcontracted employees are pressured to show their standing.
