British authorities arrested nearly one in five people checked during a week-long crackdown on migrants working illegally as delivery riders, the Home Office said on Saturday.
Between July 20 and 27, immigration enforcement officers stopped and questioned 1,780 individuals, leading to 280 arrests. Asylum support for 53 of those detained is now under review.
The operation is part of the government’s wider effort to combat illegal migration, which includes new rules requiring businesses to verify employees’ immigration status.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure to curb illegal immigration, with support growing for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
“This government is making sure rules are respected and enforced,” said Border Security Minister Angela Eagle.
In addition to the arrests, 51 businesses — including car washes and restaurants — received civil penalty notices for allegedly employing illegal workers. Police also seized 71 vehicles (58 of them e-bikes), £8,000 in cash, and illicit cigarettes worth £460,000.
The Home Office said immigration enforcement teams will receive an extra £5 million to continue tackling illegal employment.
Last month, the government reached an agreement with delivery firms including Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat to share information aimed at preventing illegal work.
In the year to July, Britain deported 35,052 people with no legal right to remain — a 13% increase on the previous year.
Separately, Britain and France struck a deal this week to exchange certain migrants: France will take in some undocumented migrants arriving in Britain by small boats, while the UK will accept from France an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with family ties in the country. Photo by Meanwell Packaging, Wikimedia commons.