Hundreds of migrants have been arrested since the start of this year as part of a crackdown on illegal work in the UK, BBC reports.
Officers raided 828 premises, including nail bars, car washes and restaurants, and made 609 arrests – a 73 per cent increase on January 2024 and the highest ever.
Officials say many migrants are attracted by false promises of opportunities to live and work in the UK, leading them to “risk their lives crossing the Channel.” It comes as the government’s Immigration Bill is due to be debated by MPs on Monday. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has labelled it “a weak bill that will not stop boats.”
A large proportion of the raids carried out last month were on restaurants, eateries and cafes, the Home Office said. It also cited examples of arrests at vape shops in Cheshire and a food warehouse in south London. Those arrested had travelled to the UK by various routes, including crossing the Channel and overstaying legally issued visas.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government was stepping up enforcement to “record levels” and that immigration rules “must be enforced.”
From the start of the Labour government in July to January 31, 3,930 arrests were made during 5,424 visits by immigration officers.
There have also been 1,090 civil penalty notices issued, with employers facing fines of up to £60,000 per employee if found guilty. During the same period there were four “the biggest return flights in UK history,” the Home Office said, with more than 800 people returning.
However, Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Reform party, labelled the new figures released by the government as paltry compared to the number who entered the country. On 31 days in January, 1,098 people arrived illegally in the UK on small boats.
The government said a social media campaign was launched in Vietnam in December and Albania in January to discourage people from travelling to the UK. The adverts tell the stories of migrants who entered the UK illegally “only to face debt, exploitation and a life far from the one they were promised,” the Home Office said.
