The UK government arrested 609 individuals for working illegally in January, marking a 73% rise from the same period in 2024, a government statement reveals.
Immigration enforcement teams raided over 800 locations, including restaurants, nail bars, and car washes, as part of Labour’s crackdown on undocumented migration and people smuggling.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who scrapped the Rwanda deportation plan upon taking office, vowed to dismantle smuggling networks. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized tougher enforcement and new legislation to curb exploitation and strengthen border security.
The issue of undocumented migration, particularly via small boats across the English Channel, played a key role in last year’s election. In 2024, 36,816 people crossed the Channel, a 25% increase from 2023. Meanwhile, legal migration also remains a contentious topic, with net migration estimated at 728,000 for the year ending June 2024.
To address these challenges, Starmer has launched a new Border Security Command and expanded cooperation with European partners, including Europol. The UK has also signed joint action plans with Germany and Iraq, building on agreements made under the previous Conservative government with France and Albania.
The government has ramped up deportations to the highest level since 2017 and introduced the Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill, which grants law enforcement expanded powers to dismantle smuggling networks. The bill is set for its second reading in Parliament on Monday.
