Latest news with #EddyMontgomery
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Illegal work arrests double in year as police target 'unscrupulous' employers
Arrests for illegal work have doubled in a year as police focus on "unscrupulous" employers who exploit undocumented migrants, the government says. Immigration officers arrested more than 6,400 people in the past year in raids at businesses across the UK, data released by the Home Office shows. It said the figure is 51% higher than the previous year. It did not provide numbers as to how many arrests led to charges, convictions or deportations. It said immigration enforcement officials had "intensified" their work to "tackle those abusing the UK immigration system and exploiting vulnerable people". Officers had visited more than 9,000 businesses - among them restaurants, nail bars and construction sites - to check paperwork and working conditions. Such businesses had often subjected migrants to "squalid conditions and illegal working hours" as well as below-minimum wages. The Home Office said there were a range of industries exploiting migrant workers. In one case in Surrey, officers arrested nine people at a caravan park who had been working as delivery drivers. At one one major operation in March, officers arrested 36 people at a building site in Belfast's Titanic Quarter. Some had breached visa conditions while others didn't have working rights. Immigration Enforcement director Eddy Montgomery said there were many cases where people travelling to the UK were "sold a lie by smuggling gangs that they will be able to live and work freely in the UK. "In reality, they often end up facing squalid living conditions, minimal pay and inhumane working hours," he said. Dame Angela Eagle, the minister for border security and asylum, said the government would "continue to root out unscrupulous employers and disrupt illegal workers who undermine our border security". The government said it had also returned nearly 30,000 people over the past year who did not have the right to be in the UK. It has said it is cracking down on illegal migration, setting out its plans in a White Paper to tighten work visas and those overstaying. It scrapped a special visa for care workers introduced during the pandemic, noting that this had been a pathway exploited by some. There was mixed reaction to the plans, with some business sectors decrying the restrictions on work visas, while some Conservative opponents said the reforms didn't go far enough to stop illegal migration. The most recent data shows that approximately 44,000 people have entered the UK illegally in the year to March 2025, more than 80% through small boat journeys.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Illegal work arrests double in year as police target 'unscrupulous' employers
Arrests for illegal work have doubled in a year as police focus on "unscrupulous" employers who exploit undocumented migrants, the government officers arrested more than 6,400 people in the past year in raids at businesses across the UK, data released by the Home Office shows. It said the figure is 51% higher than the previous year. It did not provide numbers as to how many arrests led to charges, convictions or said immigration enforcement officials had "intensified" their work to "tackle those abusing the UK immigration system and exploiting vulnerable people". Officers had visited more than 9,000 businesses - among them restaurants, nail bars and construction sites - to check paperwork and working businesses had often subjected migrants to "squalid conditions and illegal working hours" as well as below-minimum Home Office said there were a range of industries exploiting migrant one case in Surrey, officers arrested nine people at a caravan park who had been working as delivery one one major operation in March, officers arrested 36 people at a building site in Belfast's Titanic Quarter. Some had breached visa conditions while others didn't have working Enforcement director Eddy Montgomery said there were many cases where people travelling to the UK were "sold a lie by smuggling gangs that they will be able to live and work freely in the UK."In reality, they often end up facing squalid living conditions, minimal pay and inhumane working hours," he Angela Eagle, the minister for border security and asylum, said the government would "continue to root out unscrupulous employers and disrupt illegal workers who undermine our border security".The government said it had also returned nearly 30,000 people over the past year who did not have the right to be in the has said it is cracking down on illegal migration, setting out its plans in a White Paper to tighten work visas and those overstaying. It scrapped a special visa for care workers introduced during the pandemic, noting that this had been a pathway exploited by was mixed reaction to the plans, with some business sectors decrying the restrictions on work visas, while some Conservative opponents said the reforms didn't go far enough to stop illegal most recent data shows that approximately 44,000 people have entered the UK illegally in the year to March 2025, more than 80% through small boat journeys.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands Of Migrants Working Illegally Arrested In Border Security Crackdown
Thousands of migrants working illegally in the UK have been arrested since Labour came to power, new figures have revealed. The raids are part of the government's attempts to stop asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats. According to the Home Office, 3,930 arrests were made by immigration enforcement officers between July 5 and January 31 - a 38% increase compared to the previous 12-month period when the Tories were still in power. In January alone, a record 609 people were arrested working in nail bars, convenience stores, restaurants and car washes, which was a 48% rise compared to the same month last year. Home secretary Yvette Cooper said: '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. '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. 'That's why we are boosting enforcement to record levels alongside tough new legislation to smash the criminal gangs that undermine our border security and who have been getting away with it for far too long.' Eddy Montgomery, director of enforcement, compliance and crime, said: 'These figures demonstrate the commitment of my teams to crack down on those who think they can flout our immigration system. 'I hope it sends a strong signal that there is no hiding place from the law, and we will continue to ramp up our activity to ensure those involved face the full consequences. 'We also know that many people who end up working illegally are often subjected to extremely poor conditions, so we will continue to do all we can to safeguard and protect the most vulnerable.' The data was released as MPs prepare to debate the government's Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. 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. 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. Yvette Cooper Repeatedly Refuses To Say When Small Boat Crossings Will Fall Yvette Cooper Launches Immigration Crackdown Amid Soaring Number Of Small Boat Crossings Labour Accused Of 'Criminalising' Refugees With Crackdown On Small Boat Crossings
