The Home Office has carried out a record number of visits targeting illegal work in one day, as part of a nationwide operation.
During the operation, which took place across the UK yesterday, Immigration Enforcement officers arrested 105 foreigners who were found to be working without the right to do so during 159 illegal work visits.
The arrests took place at commercial locations such as restaurants, car washes, nail bars, barbershops and convenience stores.
The suspects were arrested for offenses including illegal employment and possession of false documentation, with sums of cash seized in some locations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended a morning visit to Brent, north London, to watch immigration enforcement officers at work as part of the day of action.
Secretary of the Interior Suella Braverman said:
Illegal work harms our communities, cheats honest workers out of work and defraudes the public purse by not paying taxes. As the Prime Minister has outlined, we are committed to tackling the abuse of our laws and borders.
We know that the prospect of black market employment is a major attraction for migrants considering making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK. Operations like today send a clear message that we will not stand for this.
Of those arrested, more than 40 were detained by the Home Office, pending removal from the UK, and the remaining suspects were released on immigration bail. Some of the arrests are also expected to result in voluntary departure from the UK.
Offenders of more than 20 different nationalities were found to be working without the right to do so in the UK.
The operation builds on ongoing work by immigration enforcement officers to crack down on illegal work, which is a key part of the government’s approach to stopping boats. This work tackles illegal immigration by breaking the business model of criminal gangs who use the supply of black market jobs as a way of luring people into the UK illegally.
In the first quarter of 2023, immigration enforcement teams carried out 1,303 police visits, a 57% increase on the same period last year, and since the Prime Minister unveiled his plan to stop the boats in December, arrests doubled from the same period last year. course
Director of Compliance, Enforcement and Crime, Eddy Montgomery, added:
This result demonstrates the dedication and professionalism of our officers in taking action against immigration offenders as well as non-compliant employers. Our enforcement teams work 24 hours a day to deter immigration crime and help protect the public.
Working closely with partners and agencies such as the police and the National Crime Agency, we are tackling illegal work at all levels. It is vital that we not only identify people who break immigration law, but target the people-smuggling networks behind this type of criminal activity.
