Latest news with #immigrationEnforcement
Malay Mail
05-07-2025
- Malay Mail
Immigration Dept arrests over 1,000 employers for hiring, harbouring undocumented migrants this year
KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — The Immigration Department (JIM) has detained 1,005 employers for allegedly hiring or harbouring undocumented migrants between January 1 and July 3 this year. JIM director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the arrests involved employers from various sectors, including restaurants, factories and retail shops, with most of them being locals found sheltering foreign nationals without valid documents. 'As of July, we've achieved 70 per cent of our Key Performance Indicator (KPI) and I'm confident we'll exceed our target by year-end,' he told reporters at the IMI KL Run and Customer Engagement Day held here today. Also present was Kuala Lumpur Immigration director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff. During the same period, JIM conducted 6,913 nationwide operations, screening 97,322 foreign nationals and arresting 26,320 individuals for suspected immigration offences. Zakaria said enforcement would continue to be intensified, with no compromise on undocumented migrants. The department is also monitoring over 200 identified hotspots across the country, including remote and rural areas. He added that public outreach events like today's programme, which drew over 800 participants, would be continued to strengthen public engagement. The IMI KL Run featured two categories, namely five kilometres (km) and 10 km, around the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Office. — Bernama
The Guardian
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Smash the gangs': is Labour's migration policy just a slogan?
At 5.30am on Tuesday, six immigration enforcement officers and a BBC TV crew gathered in a deserted B&Q car park near Sheffield's railway station, waiting in the rain for a call from London that would trigger simultaneous arrests of suspected people smugglers in six towns. Forty minutes later, the Home Office staff drove in convoy to a nearby residential block (followed by the BBC and the Guardian), made their way up the stairs carrying a red battering ram, ready to smash the suspect's door down. The equipment wasn't needed, because the man, barefoot in his checked pyjamas, opened the door and let the team inside. He was given a few moments to get dressed, before being taken silently in handcuffs to the van outside, sweat running down his face. Footage of the wider operation was broadcast that night on the BBC and also ITV News at 10, with the security minister, Dan Jarvis, in Cheltenham, wearing a black immigration enforcement stab vest, observing another of the six linked arrests. Keir Starmer posted photographs of the raids on X, tersely announcing: 'When I said we would smash the people smuggling gangs, I meant it.' It was a useful bit of positive messaging, carefully facilitated by the Home Office press office, in a week when ministers have been confronted with uncomfortable evidence that their efforts to prevent the arrival of small boats are flailing just as spectacularly as those of the last government. Last Saturday 1,195 people arrived in the UK on 18 small boats, the highest number of arrivals this year, bringing the provisional total for 2025 to 14,811; 42% higher than the same point last year (10,448) and 95% up from the same point in 2023 (7,610). The defence secretary, John Healey, said Britain had 'lost control of its borders over the last five years'. The Home Office tried to explain the rising numbers by releasing figures showing that the number of 'red days' – when weather conditions are favourable for small boats crossings – peaked in 2024-25. Conservative opposition MPs accused the government of 'blaming the weather'. 'Public opinion won't put up with this,' the Reform UK party leader, Nigel Farage, told GB News, urging the government again to declare a national emergency on illegal immigration. With Reform's popularity ratings surging, the government is under enormous political pressure to show that its much-advertised 'smash the gangs' policy is beginning to work. Last week's raids were flagged as an anti-gangs success, but they turned out to be entirely unconnected to people smuggling in small boats. The six people who were arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry are believed to have helped at least 200 Botswana nationals to travel to the UK by plane on tourist visas, and to have assisted them with false documentation on arrival to claim asylum or to get work in care homes. The criminal and financial investigation unit of the Home Office's immigration enforcement team said this was one of the department's top 10 immigration investigations, ranked by potential financial gain, number of people involved and risk of harm to victims exploited by the gang. Reminding the home secretary that small boat crossings were 'one of the biggest challenges your department faces', the Labour MP Chris Murray asked Yvette Cooper at a home affairs select committee hearing: 'Can you tell us how many gangs you've smashed so far?' The home secretary gave some details about the arrests that morning, prompting Murray to respond with enthusiasm: 'When I asked that question, I did not expect you to say you had smashed a gang today!' In its manifesto, Labour made it clear that the policy of launching a new border security command with hundreds of new specialist investigators using counter-terror powers was designed to 'smash criminal boat gangs'. The arrests may have represented a significant development for Home Office staff trying to crack down on the exploitation of vulnerable people trafficked into the UK and criminalised by being forced to work illegally, but packaging this as a major breakthrough in the smash the gangs drive has prompted some raised eyebrows. One former Home Office official described taking TV cameras to these arrests as a sleight of hand, a PR exercise designed to detract attention from a small boats policy that he said had so far been a 'damp squib'. Peter Walsh, a senior researcher with the migration observatory at Oxford University, said the government should be given some leeway because the border security, asylum and immigration bill, which will bring in the much-trailed counter-terror style powers to help identify and control smuggling gangs, has not yet been passed. 'Overall it's too early to evaluate their 'smash the gangs' policy, because the main legislative developments are in that bill,' he said. 'But it would be difficult to describe whatever has been done operationally so far to disrupt smuggling networks as a success, because the numbers [of small boats] have gone up.' Starmer's catchy 'smash the gangs' slogan risks becoming almost as much of a millstone as his predecessor Rishi Sunak's commitment to 'stop the boats'. Sunak's pledge was described as impossible to achieve the moment he announced it, but he continued to put out videos repeating his promise, and gave immigration control speeches standing behind a lectern with a 'stop the boats' logo. Labour may eventually be able to show some progress on dismantling organised people smuggling operations by citing rising arrest figures. The Home Office press office said that, from July to November 2024, its immigration enforcement teams have convicted 53 people smugglers, including 23 individuals for piloting small boats, leading to more than 52 years in sentences. But Walsh questioned whether these arrests would have a discernible impact on the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats. 'It doesn't require substantial investment in training and skills to have a functional smuggler on the ground, getting boats into the water in Calais, getting people into boats. But it takes a lot of resources to investigate them and bring them to justice. One of the major challenges is that lower-level smugglers can quickly be replaced,' Walsh said, pointing, as a comparison, to the speed with which gangs dealing drugs hire new recruits to replace those arrested. 'Smuggling networks are adaptable. They're increasingly well financed and decentralised. Senior figures operate in countries like Afghanistan, where we have minimal or no law enforcement cooperation.' Campaigners for an overhaul of the asylum system have been dismayed by Labour's resolutely tough rhetoric on those crossing the Channel illegally, which often fails to acknowledge that many arrivals are coming from war-torn nations such as Afghanistan, Syria, and Eritrea. This week, a research paper published by Border Criminologies and the Centre for Criminology at the University of Oxford found that hundreds of those imprisoned for arriving in the UK on small boats since 2022 were refugees and victims of trafficking and torture, in breach of international law. It said at least 17 children had been arrested and charged with 'facilitation', for having their hand on the tiller of a dinghy. Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the government should 'dial down the rhetoric', and adopt a quieter multi-pronged approach, cooperating more deeply with France and other European countries, undermining the business model of the gangs by creating safe and legal routes for people to apply for asylum in the UK. 'The more you make announcements on a week-by-week basis, the more you give the impression to the public that you're going to fix the problem very quickly, so you end up falling into the trap of damaging trust because you're overpromising and underdelivering,' he said. It is a message that Starmer's comms team has yet to learn. In a second tweet on the subject of smashing the gangs in the space of 24 hours this week, the prime minister announced: 'My government is ramping up our efforts to smash the gangs at their source.' Attached was a video montage of boats, barbed wire, police vans and men being arrested, overlaid with the words (in emphatic capitals) 'OUR PLAN IS WORKING'.
CNN
02-06-2025
- General
- CNN
List of ‘sanctuary jurisdictions' removed from DHS website after law enforcement outcry, questions about accuracy
The Department of Homeland Security removed a list of hundreds of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that it published on its website Thursday following questions about its accuracy and pointed criticism from a major group representing law enforcement. DHS had described it as 'comprehensive list of sanctuary jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens,' according to an archived version of the since-deleted webpage. The agency added that each jurisdiction 'will receive formal notification of its non-compliance and all potential violations of federal criminal statutes.' President Donald Trump has vowed to punish jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal authorities' immigration enforcement as part of his administration's efforts to increase deportations. There's no specific or legal definition of what constitutes a 'sanctuary jurisdiction.' The term is often used to refer to law enforcement agencies, states or communities that don't cooperate with immigration enforcement. Asked by CNN why the list was removed, a senior DHS official said in a statement Monday that the list 'is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly.' The statement did not respond to specific questions about how the list was created or who identified jurisdictions that would be included. 'Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens,' the statement said. But several jurisdictions on the DHS list said it does not accurately describe their policies. The city of Las Vegas said in a statement on X that it has never been a sanctuary city and is 'not sure why DHS has classified Las Vegas in the manner it has.' Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said while his city is 'welcoming,' it is not a sanctuary city. Several city officials in San Diego County said they were confused about being on the list — including one mayor who told local media that officers are allowed to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in certain cases. The president of the National Sheriffs' Association, which represents more than 3,000 sheriffs nationwide, also criticized the list in a statement Saturday. The group's president, Kieran Donahue, demanded an apology and that the list be removed, said the list was published 'in a manner that lacks transparency and accountability,' and accused DHS of doing 'a terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country.' Donahue said that in a meeting between his association and members of DHS, 'no political appointee for the administration could explain who compiled, proofed, and verified the list before publication.' 'This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome,' said Donahue, the sheriff of Canyon County, Idaho. Trump signed an executive order in April directing the DHS secretary and the attorney general to publish a list of sanctuary jurisdictions considered to be obstructing federal immigration laws. The order directs federal agencies to identify funding that could be withheld from such jurisdictions. Donahue, the sheriffs' association president whose statement criticized the now-removed list, was in the Oval Office when Trump signed that executive order.
CNN
02-06-2025
- General
- CNN
List of ‘sanctuary jurisdictions' removed from DHS website after law enforcement outcry, questions about accuracy
The Department of Homeland Security removed a list of hundreds of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that it published on its website Thursday following questions about its accuracy and pointed criticism from a major group representing law enforcement. DHS had described it as 'comprehensive list of sanctuary jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens,' according to an archived version of the since-deleted webpage. The agency added that each jurisdiction 'will receive formal notification of its non-compliance and all potential violations of federal criminal statutes.' President Donald Trump has vowed to punish jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal authorities' immigration enforcement as part of his administration's efforts to increase deportations. There's no specific or legal definition of what constitutes a 'sanctuary jurisdiction.' The term is often used to refer to law enforcement agencies, states or communities that don't cooperate with immigration enforcement. Asked by CNN why the list was removed, a senior DHS official said in a statement Monday that the list 'is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly.' The statement did not respond to specific questions about how the list was created or who identified jurisdictions that would be included. 'Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens,' the statement said. But several jurisdictions on the DHS list said it does not accurately describe their policies. The city of Las Vegas said in a statement on X that it has never been a sanctuary city and is 'not sure why DHS has classified Las Vegas in the manner it has.' Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said while his city is 'welcoming,' it is not a sanctuary city. Several city officials in San Diego County said they were confused about being on the list — including one mayor who told local media that officers are allowed to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in certain cases. The president of the National Sheriffs' Association, which represents more than 3,000 sheriffs nationwide, also criticized the list in a statement Saturday. The group's president, Kieran Donahue, demanded an apology and that the list be removed, said the list was published 'in a manner that lacks transparency and accountability,' and accused DHS of doing 'a terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country.' Donahue said that in a meeting between his association and members of DHS, 'no political appointee for the administration could explain who compiled, proofed, and verified the list before publication.' 'This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome,' said Donahue, the sheriff of Canyon County, Idaho. Trump signed an executive order in April directing the DHS secretary and the attorney general to publish a list of sanctuary jurisdictions considered to be obstructing federal immigration laws. The order directs federal agencies to identify funding that could be withheld from such jurisdictions. Donahue, the sheriffs' association president whose statement criticized the now-removed list, was in the Oval Office when Trump signed that executive order.
CNN
02-06-2025
- General
- CNN
List of ‘sanctuary jurisdictions' removed from DHS website after law enforcement outcry, questions about accuracy
The Department of Homeland Security removed a list of hundreds of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that it published on its website Thursday following questions about its accuracy and pointed criticism from a major group representing law enforcement. DHS had described it as 'comprehensive list of sanctuary jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens,' according to an archived version of the since-deleted webpage. The agency added that each jurisdiction 'will receive formal notification of its non-compliance and all potential violations of federal criminal statutes.' President Donald Trump has vowed to punish jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal authorities' immigration enforcement as part of his administration's efforts to increase deportations. There's no specific or legal definition of what constitutes a 'sanctuary jurisdiction.' The term is often used to refer to law enforcement agencies, states or communities that don't cooperate with immigration enforcement. Asked by CNN why the list was removed, a senior DHS official said in a statement Monday that the list 'is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly.' The statement did not respond to specific questions about how the list was created or who identified jurisdictions that would be included. 'Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a Sanctuary Jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens,' the statement said. But several jurisdictions on the DHS list said it does not accurately describe their policies. The city of Las Vegas said in a statement on X that it has never been a sanctuary city and is 'not sure why DHS has classified Las Vegas in the manner it has.' Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said while his city is 'welcoming,' it is not a sanctuary city. Several city officials in San Diego County said they were confused about being on the list — including one mayor who told local media that officers are allowed to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in certain cases. The president of the National Sheriffs' Association, which represents more than 3,000 sheriffs nationwide, also criticized the list in a statement Saturday. The group's president, Kieran Donahue, demanded an apology and that the list be removed, said the list was published 'in a manner that lacks transparency and accountability,' and accused DHS of doing 'a terrible disservice to President Trump and the Sheriffs of this country.' Donahue said that in a meeting between his association and members of DHS, 'no political appointee for the administration could explain who compiled, proofed, and verified the list before publication.' 'This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome,' said Donahue, the sheriff of Canyon County, Idaho. Trump signed an executive order in April directing the DHS secretary and the attorney general to publish a list of sanctuary jurisdictions considered to be obstructing federal immigration laws. The order directs federal agencies to identify funding that could be withheld from such jurisdictions. Donahue, the sheriffs' association president whose statement criticized the now-removed list, was in the Oval Office when Trump signed that executive order.
