The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has declared that arrests for illegal working have reached the highest level ever recorded in the UK. New figures show a dramatic surge in enforcement activity since the Labour government took office.
Unprecedented Surge in Enforcement Raids
Official data from the Home Office reveals that between the July 2024 general election and December 2025, enforcement officers carried out 17,483 raids. This represents a staggering 77 per cent increase compared to the previous 18-month period.
These operations led to 12,322 arrests for illegal working, a sharp rise from the 6,725 arrests made in the year and a half before. This marks an 83 per cent increase in the number of people detained for working without the right to do so in Britain.
The Deportation Gap and Nationwide Crackdown
Despite the record number of arrests, the rate of removals lags significantly. So far, only 1,725 individuals – approximately one in seven of those arrested – have been deported from the UK. The Home Office states this is still a 35% increase on the 1,283 removals following raids in the prior period.
Raids have been conducted across the country, targeting a variety of businesses. The Home Office released new footage of operations at a nail bar in Belfast and a restaurant in east London. Other enforcement visits included:
- A raid connected to migrants illegally working as delivery riders in Surrey.
- Operations at car washes and barber shops.
- A warehouse in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, resulting in 13 arrests and 11 individuals from Brazil and Romania being detained for removal.
- A construction site in Swindon, Wiltshire, where 30 Indian and Albanian men were arrested, with 'nearly all' detained for removal.
Immigration Enforcement officers are now equipped with body-worn video cameras to gather stronger evidence for prosecutions.
Political Reactions and Future Stance
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated: "There is no place for illegal working in our communities. That is why we have surged enforcement activity to the highest level in British history so illegal migrants in the black economy have nowhere to hide. I will stop at nothing to restore order and control to our borders."
Eddy Montgomery, Director of Immigration, Compliance and Enforcement, added: "We will continue to bear down on this criminality in our towns, cities and villages to ensure there is no hiding place from immigration laws."
In response, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the government's approach: "Illegal working is booming because Labour have turned Britain into a soft touch." He argued that allowing illegal migrants to work and stay fuels Channel crossings and pledged that a Conservative government would deport those caught, seize wages to pay for removal, and remove their status.
