The United Kingdom’s immigration enforcement teams arrested 609 individuals in January for working illegally, marking a 73% increase from the same period last year, officials announced on Monday.
According to a government statement, these arrests resulted from inspections of over 800 businesses, including nail salons, restaurants, car washes, and convenience stores. In January 2024, only 352 such arrests were recorded.
The crackdown aligns with the Labour government’s renewed strategy to curb undocumented migration and dismantle people-smuggling networks.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who took office last year, abandoned his predecessor Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda deportation policy and instead vowed to take tougher measures against criminal gangs facilitating illegal migration.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized that businesses had long exploited undocumented workers without facing consequences.
“We are ramping up enforcement to unprecedented levels, alongside introducing strict new laws to dismantle the criminal networks that have undermined border security for far too long,” Cooper stated.
The issue of illegal migration, particularly via small boats crossing the English Channel from northern France, played a significant role in the Labour Party’s victory in the July 2024 general election. Legal migration, which reached an estimated 728,000 in the year leading up to June 2024, was also a key topic during the campaign.
With rising support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which secured around four million votes in the July election, Starmer faces increasing pressure to reduce both legal and illegal immigration.
As part of his strategy, Starmer established a new Border Security Command and strengthened partnerships with European agencies, including Europol. The UK has also signed joint agreements with Germany and Iraq to combat human smuggling, expanding on previous deals with France and Albania.
Government officials highlight that deportations of irregular migrants have reached their highest levels since 2017.
Meanwhile, the proposed Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which aims to grant law enforcement officers enhanced counter-terror-style powers to dismantle smuggling networks, is set for its second reading in Parliament on Monday.
