Arrests of illegal workers nearly double in Wales

More than 590 arrests of people suspected of working illegally were made by Immigration Enforcement between October 2024 and September 2025

More than 590 arrests of people suspected of working illegally have been made in Wales over the past year, the Home Office has said.

The arrests were made by Immigration Enforcement between October 2024 and September 2025.

The Home Office says this marks a 98% increase on the year before and was part of the "largest crackdown on illegal workers since records began" after an uplift of immigration raids on businesses across Wales and the UK.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, said: "Those found to be illegally working in beauty salons, car washes and as delivery drivers will be arrested, detained and removed from this country".

What do the figures show?

• More than 8,000 illegal migrants were detained across the UK within the past 12 months, according to the latest immigration enforcement figures.

• This was an increase of 63% on 2023-24 across the UK, while south west England and Northern Ireland were the areas seeing the largest proportional rises.

• Arrests in Wales included seven Chinese nationals at a construction site on the Gower earlier this month.

• There were three illegal working arrests at a barbers in Porthmadog last month and a visits to warehouses in Caldicot in August resulted in eight illegal working arrests.

• There was a 95% rise in the number of illegal working visits in Wales by enforcement officers.

• The nationwide operation resulted in more than 1,050 foreign nationals being removed from the UK over the same period.

The UK government said it was "expanding right-to-work checks" into the so-called gig economy "where there are higher levels of illegal migrants seeking work".

Its £5m crackdown targeted businesses who often rely on casual or temporary workers, including fast food takeaways, beauty salons and car washes.

The Home Office said it aims to "shrink the black economy and penalise rogue employers who ignore immigration rules".

'Chronic mismanagement'

Ms Mahmood, said: "Illegal working creates an incentive for people attempting to arrive in this country illegally. No more".

"I will do whatever it takes to secure Britain's borders."

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said illegal workers and those who employ them should be held to account by the law, "but performative measures and photo-ops are no remedy for chronic mismanagement at the Home Office".

It said the Home Office needed to "overhaul the entire asylum processing system and ensure safe and managed migration routes for people who qualify to come to the UK."

Shadow Welsh secretary Mims Davies said the figure was a "drop in the ocean" compared to the 36,000 people who Labour had allowed to illegally enter the country in 2025.

"It is only the Conservative Party that have a serious, hard-edged plan to deliver stronger borders," she said.

Reform UK's Wales spokesman said: "These figures paint a bleak picture of the old parties' records on immigration and illegal working.

"Successive Labour and Conservative governments have allowed the underground economy to thrive by failing to control our borders and crack down on these practices."