West Midlands Immigration Enforcement officers targeted illegal working hotspots across Birmingham city centre and nearby car washes and construction sites
A number of men have been detained following an illegal working bust across the West Midlands this week.
Over two days, Immigration Enforcement and local police in the West Midlands worked in the region to identify people who were working despite having no right to do so.
The activity, which forms part of a UK-wide surge in operations against illegal working, sits within the government’s Plan for Change to tackle illegal migration and protect UK borders.
On Wednesday, July, 16, West Midlands Immigration Enforcement officers targeted illegal working hotspots across Birmingham city centre and nearby car washes and construction sites.
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Officers based near Birmingham New Street Station also targeted illegally modified e-bikes which are often used for working illegally in the gig economy.
This led to the arrest of four men for working illegally, including one Eritrean and one Guinean national who were both failed asylum seekers with no right to work in the UK.
A man was arrested in Birmingham city centre(Image: Home Office)
They have been placed on strict reporting conditions, pending travel documents being issued to facilitate their removal from the country.
The two remaining men included an Italian national who had overstayed his visa and an Albanian national who entered the UK illegally.
Both are now in immigration removal centres ahead of removal from the UK.
Immigration Enforcement officers continued the operation with West Mercia Police in Hereford city centre and with West Midlands Police near retail parks in Coventry, on Thursday, July 17, to disrupt illegal working by food delivery riders.
The Hereford operation resulted in the arrest of one Pakistani man who had breached the rules of his visa by illegally working.
He is now under strict reporting conditions pending travel documents to facilitate his return.
Officers also visited the Tracy & Chloe nail bar, where they arrested one Vietnamese man with no right to work in the UK.
Officers also visited the Amazing Asia Buffet where they encountered one Bangladeshi male working without the correct visa.
The joint Coventry operation resulted in the arrest of two men, one Pakistani and one Indian national, who also breached the conditions of their visas by illegally working.
Both now face removal from the UK with the Pakistan male in detention and the Indian national under strict reporting conditions.
Minister for Border Security, Immigration and Asylum Dame Angela Eagle said: “This government will not stand for illegal working, which is why under our Plan for Change we have increased action nationwide, with visits and arrests up by around 50% since coming into power.
“Those travelling to the UK illegally are sold a lie by the people smuggling gangs that they will be able to live and work freely in this country, when in reality they end up facing squalid living conditions, minimal pay and inhumane working hours.
“My thanks to Immigration Enforcement and policing partners for their joint work to root out this criminality and uphold the integrity of our immigration system.”
West Midlands Immigration Compliance and Enforcement lead Matthew Foster said:
“Illegal working will not be tolerated. It undercuts legitimate businesses, drives down local wages, and often traps vulnerable people in exploitation and poor conditions. Those who choose to break the law by working illegally — or by employing illegal workers — should expect to be caught and face the consequences, including heavy fines and potential prison sentences.
“We are stepping up enforcement across the UK, targeting the criminals and rogue employers who profit from this abuse. Our message is clear: if you try to work illegally or help others to do so, we will track you down and hold you to account.”
Over the two days of action, a further 12 people were arrested for other breaches of the UK’s immigration rules.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “This action comes after a commitment made by top delivery firms, Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, to implement tougher security measures across their systems.
“Following a roundtable chaired by Ministers, the firms agreed to increase the number of facial recognition checks and enhance fraud detection tools, to help ensure only verified account holders can access their platforms.
“Government has been surging action against illegal working since coming into power one year ago, with 10,031 illegal working visits leading to 7,130 arrests, marking a 48% and 51% rise respectively, compared to the year before (5 July 2023 to 28 June 2024).
“This marks the first time in a 12-month period where more than 10,000 visits have taken place. Of these, 1151 arrests took place in the Midlands region.
“And unscrupulous employers are also being held to account. 748 civil penalty notices were issued between January and March to employers across the UK– highest level since 2016.
“Government is also going further by tightening the law by making it a legal requirement for all companies in the gig economy to check anyone working for them has the legal right to do so. Failure to do proper employment checks could lead to a fine of up to £60,000 per illegal worker, director disqualifications and a potential prison sentence of up to five years.
“Alongside strengthening legislation, this week it was confirmed that over 35,000 people with no right to be in the UK have been returned since July 2024.
“This represents an increase of 13% compared to the previous 12 months and includes failed asylum seekers, foreign national offenders and others who have carried out immigration offences.”