Illegal workers told 'you will be arrested'

Tano Grima, South East ICE (Immigration Compliance Enforcement) team lead, says they have stepped up enforcement

"If anyone is thinking of entering the UK illegally to work, don't do it," says Tano Grima from the Home Office's South East immigration and enforcement team.

"Immigration officers will come for you and you will be arrested," he told BBC South East.

Joining immigration staff on a series of operations the BBC was told they have even found young teenagers suspected of working illegally.

Mr Grima, South East Immigration Compliance Enforcement team lead said: "If you're employing people without the permission to work, you will be fined."

He said: "Quite recently my officers encountered a 17-year-old listed as missing by social services.

"Illegal working is a driver for illegal migration. It's a pull factor."

Home Office teams carrying out enforcement visits in the South East

Between July, when Labour came into power, and 31 January, 3,930 arrests were made during more than 5,424 visits around the UK by immigration enforcement officers, the Home Office said.

A total of 1,090 civil penalty notices were also issued, with employers facing potential fines of up to £60,000 per worker if found liable.

The government says those arrested for illegal working made the journey to the UK through a mix of routes, including by crossing the Channel, and by overstaying legitimately-granted visas.

Home Office minister, Dame Angela Eagle, said: "Under our Plan for Change, we're ramping up enforcement activity to record levels to send a clear message that there is no hiding place from the law."

But Reform UK leader Nigel Farage recently described the figures released by the government as feeble, compared with the numbers that had entered the country.

Home Office enforcement teams say their visits to work places are intelligence led, following information from a number of sources, partners and the public.

During recent operations in the South East, three Romanians were arrested at a factory in east Kent on suspicion of working in breach of their entry conditions and overstaying.

In north Kent, five Indian nationals were arrested at a takeaway shop on suspicion of overstaying their visa.

Three men - two Indian and one Afghan national - were detained at a restaurant in West Sussex on suspicion of overstaying and working in breach of bail conditions.

Meanwhile, in East Sussex a man and a woman from India were arrested at a takeaway on suspicion of immigration offences.

'Trending upwards'

Across the UK, enforcement teams raided 828 premises including nail bars, car washes, and restaurants and made 609 arrests in January 2024 - a 73% increase on January 2023.

Peter Walsh, head of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said: "Visits to businesses and arrests in January are up , but that's only one month, so we should be cautious about inferring too much from a single month."

He said more than 1,000 civil penalty notices were issued to employers over the first seven months of the Labour government.

"That is more than in recent years, although they were already trending upwards from historic lows after the pandemic.

"They're still below levels seen a decade ago," Mr Walsh said.

"Raids can only ever target a small share of the total businesses employing unauthorised workers."

Justine Carter is from Unseen which runs the national Modern Day Slavery Helpline

Justine Carter, the executive director of Unseen, the anti-slavery charity running Modern Slavery Helpline, said: "I think it is about sending a tough message.

"But, when you think about the thousands of pounds that are used for these types of raids, the very few people who are identified as a result is a real concern."

She says it is crucial that enforcement teams also identify potential slavery victims.

"For victims forced or coerced into either travelling or working against their will, or against their visa requirements, it's really important that we can recognise those people, and that they can come forward and seek the help and support they need and deserve."

Ms Carter said: "It's critical we send a tough message to employers. It's about illegal practices within legitimate supply chains."