Thousands of illegal workers arrested in government border security crackdown
Thousands of migrants working illegally in nail bars, car washes and restaurants have been arrested as part of the government’s efforts to tighten UK border security.
Some 3,930 arrests have been made across 5,424 visits by immigration enforcement officers since July 5 when labour took power to January 31, in what is understood to be a 38% increase compared to the previous 12-month period.
Officials believe people are sold false promises about their ability to live and work in the UK, encouraging them to make dangerous journeys to the country organised by criminal gangs.
But when they arrive, officers often find illegal workers in squalid conditions working inhumane hours for employers who are avoiding taxes and undercutting competing businesses.
Those arrested made the journey through a mix of routes including by crossing the English Channel and by overstaying their visas, and were discovered in a number of sectors ranging from nail bars to convenience stores.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said the government is boosting enforcement to “record levels”.
“The immigration rules must be respected and enforced. For far too long, employers have been able to take on and exploit illegal migrants and too many people have been able to arrive and work illegally with no enforcement action ever taken,” she said.
“Not only does this create a dangerous draw for people to risk their lives by crossing the Channel in a small boat, but it results in the abuse of vulnerable people, the immigration system and our economy.”
Last month there were 828 visits with 609 arrests made, a record-high for January action in data collected since 2019.
In January 2024 there were 556 visits and 352 arrests.
In Wales and the West of England, the number of arrests made in January more than doubled compared with a year earlier, from 45 to 101.
A government social media campaign discouraging people from making the journey to the UK was launched in Vietnam in December and Albania in January.
The adverts highlight stories from migrants who entered the UK illegally “only to face debt, exploitation and a life far from what they were promised”, the home office said.
The drive comes as the government’s border security, asylum and immigration bill is set to be debated in the house of commons in its second reading.
It aims to introduce a raft of new offences and counter terror-style powers to crack down on people smugglers bringing migrants across the English Channel.
The measures are expected to come into force as soon as possible once the legislation is approved by MPs and Lords, believed to be this year.
Among the plans, people selling and handling boat parts suspected of being used in Channel crossings could face up to 14 years in prison, while anyone at sea during the dangerous journeys who endangers another life could face a five-year jail term.
Meanwhile, police and enforcement agencies would be handed powers including to seize and search electronic devices, before an arrest, if they suspect they contain information about organised immigration crime.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously vowed to treat people smugglers as “terrorists” in a bid to curb Channel crossings, but ministers have stopped short of setting a target on reducing the number of arrivals via the smuggler route.
But human rights group Liberty has warned the bill sets a “dangerous precedent” in bringing in counter-terror-style powers for offences that are not terrorism, while there are insufficient safeguards to protect people from being prosecuted “needlessly”.
Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee UK has welcomed the government’s commitment to reforming the asylum system but urges for safe routes to the UK to be established for those fleeing conflict and persecution.
IRC advocacy director Denisa Delic added: “Without more safe alternatives for those in need, vulnerable people will continue to be forced into the hands of smugglers and even more dangerous routes as their only option for seeking protection.”
Under the bill, the Safety of Rwanda Act will be scrapped to formally ditch the multimillion-pound deal to send migrants to the east African state, while parts of the Illegal Migration Act will also be repealed.
Ministers are understood to keep measures from the law for operational reasons, including a cap on the number of people arriving under safe and legal routes and time periods migrants can be detained.
Law society of England and Wales president Richard Atkinson has urged for the bill to go further by repealing all parts of the illegal migration act and for the “detrimental” nationality and borders act to be ditched, while he warned for more resources for immigration legal advice.
“Any new legislation will fail unless there are enough immigration legal aid solicitors available and we urge the government to allocate sufficient resources in accompaniment to the bill,” he said.
By Anahita Hossein-Pour, PA