(Adnkronos) – Arrests for illegal immigration have reached their highest levels ever in London. This was revealed by the British Home Office, after raids on commercial activities in the capital were intensified. The crackdown on illegal work has seen officers step up checks in restaurants, car washes, beauty salons, barbers, markets, shops, and hotels. The number of operations targeting delivery drivers has also increased.
Since the Labour Party came to power in July 2024, raids have increased by 77%, leading to an 83% rise in arrests, the government said today. During the raids, more than 17,400 commercial establishments were checked, resulting in over 12,300 arrests. The Home Office released footage of people stopped for suspected immigration offenses in restaurants in east London and at Kempton Park Racecourse. Eleven men were arrested on suspicion of illegal working when officers raided a Christmas market on December 11.
Nine men of Indian, Iraqi, and Chinese nationality were arrested at the Surrey racecourse, while two men of Indian nationality were stopped at nearby properties. Five were taken into custody pending deportation from the UK, while six others were released on bail. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated: “There is no place for illegal work in our communities. That’s why we have stepped up enforcement activity to the highest level in British history, so that illegal migrants working illegally no longer have a place to hide. I will stop at nothing to restore order and control at our borders.”
Around 61 companies in the capital were fined a record amount of over £3.2 million (almost €4 million) after employing people without the right to work in the UK between January 1 and the end of March last year. As part of the government’s crackdown measures, fines for employing people without the right to work have been increased from £15,000 (around €17,000) per employee up to £45,000 (€52,000) for first offenses. Repeat offenders face fines of up to £60,000 (almost €70,000) per irregular worker.
The reforms, considered the most radical since the Second World War, will involve a review of human rights laws and a series of other measures aimed at deterring people from crossing the Channel in small boats. But the plans have already drawn opposition from backbench Labour MPs. They include visa sanctions for countries that do not cooperate more in the expulsion of illegal migrants and changes to how the right to family life, provided for by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), is applied in migration cases and a limitation on the number of appeals allowed against asylum refusals.
