Record arrests of illegal workers in the UK
A record number of illegal workers have been arrested in the last year, with more than 8,000 delivery drivers, car wash workers, and nail salon technicians apprehended in raids over the past 12 months, reports BritPanorama.
Under Operation Sterling, arrests surged by 63 per cent from the previous year, resulting in over 1,000 illegal immigrants subsequently being removed from the country. This figure marks the highest rate of illegal worker arrests since records began in 2011.
Among those arrested were three Brazilian nationals apprehended during a raid on a barbershop in Battersea, South London, on September 18, and 21 arrests made on September 17 for illegal working at construction sites in the West Midlands.
On August 28, law enforcement arrested 15 men of various nationalities, including Kazakhstani and Turkish, at a solar farm in Bristol for illegal working. This series of actions illustrates a focused effort to tackle the issue of illegal employment across the UK.
Footage from a recent raid in Ealing, West London, showed Deliveroo and JustEat drivers being stopped and questioned by Immigration Enforcement. Uninsured bicycles were confiscated, forcing workers to retrieve their belongings on foot.
A previous investigation revealed that migrants who had arrived via small boats and were residing in taxpayer-funded hotels were illegally working for food delivery companies, prompting this significant crackdown.
The Labour Party is introducing new right-to-work checks aimed at closing loopholes that enable illegal immigrants to work in the gig economy. Failures by employers to check the immigration status of their staff could lead to imprisonment for up to five years, fines of £60,000 per illegal worker, and potential business closures.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated, “Illegal working creates an incentive for people attempting to arrive in this country illegally. No more. Those found to be illegally working in beauty salons, car washes and as delivery drivers will be arrested, detained and removed from this country. I will do whatever it takes to secure Britain’s borders.”
The Labour Party has also promised to introduce Digital IDs aimed at combatting illegal working by the end of the current parliament cycle.
The government’s ongoing initiatives reflect a comprehensive strategy to address illegal working, emphasizing the need for stringent checks while balancing economic realities within the workforce.
