A crackdown on rogue businesses hiring people to work illegally
has led to a significant rise in arrests, new figures published
by the Home Office today have shown.
Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams have been intensifying
operational activity across the UK to stop businesses hiring
people to work illegally.
In a statement to the House of Commons today, Monday 2 December,
the Home Secretary confirmed that since the new government came
into power in July, the number of illegal working visits
increased by 34% and arrests went up 25%, compared to the same
period last year.
From 5 July to 31 October 2024, operational colleagues targeting
unscrupulous employers carried out 3,188 visits with 2,299
arrests. This is compared to 2,371 visits from 5 July to 31
October 2023 with 1,836 arrests.
Action to stop people suspected of working illegally has focused
on nail bars, supermarkets and other relevant industries
including car washes and construction.
The new figures come alongside the Home Secretary's statement
setting out the Government's plans to reduce net migration, boost
Britain's border security and restore order to the asylum system,
and further details of the previous Government's policies
including the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with
Rwanda.
Figures published today show that between the launch of the
policy in the Spring of 2022 and its closure this summer, £290
million was paid directly to the Rwandan government, with almost
£300 million spent staff, IT and legal costs, and £50 million
spent on deportation flights.
The Home Secretary replaced this flight planning for Rwanda with
flights to return people who have no right to stay in the UK.
This has contributed to the delivery of nearly 10,000 returns
since the General Election.
Home Secretary in a statement to the House
of Commons, said:
Over the last five years, controls in the immigration and asylum
systems crumbled, legal and illegal migration both substantially
increased, the backlog in the asylum system soared, and
enforcement of basic rules fell apart.
Since the election, we have swiftly redeployed many of the people
who were working on the Rwanda plan into working on actual
flights instead to return people who have no right to stay in the
UK - helping to deliver nearly 10,000 returns. Enforced returns
are up by 19%, voluntary returns are up by 14%.
And in recent weeks, our increased international collaboration
has led to high profile arrests and shown the smuggling gangs and
their suppliers we will not sanction any hiding place from law
enforcement.
We have the chance now to turn that around, to tackle the
criminal gangs and prevent dangerous boat crossings, to restore
order, control and fair rules, properly enforced, through hard
graft and serious international partnerships.
During one nationwide operation in November known as Op Tornado,
which targeted nail bars and convenience stores, officers carried
out 235 visits and arrested 154 people suspected of working
illegally. Officers also issued civil penalty referral notices
worth up to £4 million to more than 50 businesses who had
employed people unlawfully, making them liable for penalties of
up to £60,000 per worker if found to have failed to conduct
relevant pre-employment checks. People from 19 different
nationalities were arrested.
In many cases, illegal workers live in squalid conditions
on-site, earning far below the UK national minimum wage and
working longer hours than legally allowed. By paying so little,
these rogue employers undercut honest competitors who follow the
law, and these businesses often do not pay their fair share in
taxes to contribute to the economy.
Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime at Immigration
Enforcement Eddy Montgomery said:
Illegal working operations bring the guilty to account and help
protect vulnerable people from exploitation.
I'm very proud of our teams across the UK for their hard work,
skill and co-operation on these very effective and necessary
visits.
Alongside returns and illegal working, the Home Office has
increased action to disrupt criminal smuggling networks and
dissuade irregular migration, with the new Border Security
Command working to go after the criminal smuggler and trafficking
gangs.
Last week, the Home Secretary signed a Joint Statement with Iraq
to tackle people smuggling and organised crime networks operating
across the region and in Europe. The milestone border pacts will
strengthen border security co-operation through greater law
enforcement work, increased intelligence sharing and a new
taskforce.
And earlier this month at Interpol's General Assembly in Glasgow,
the Prime Minister announced that £150m would be spent over the
next two years to tackle organised immigration crime and smash
the criminal networks profiting from small boat crossings.
