More than 170 people have been arrested in a nationwide immigration enforcement crackdown targeting illegal working in the gig economy, the Home Office
has confirmed.
Around 60 delivery riders found to be working unlawfully in the UK are now facing deportation following coordinated operations across the country last month. In total, 171 arrests were made.
Those detained included Chinese nationals working in a restaurant in Solihull, West Midlands, Bangladeshi and Indian delivery riders in Newham, east London, and Indian riders operating in Norwich, Norfolk.
The Home Office released video footage showing officers arresting a rider by his bike on a public street, escorting another man into an immigration enforcement van, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood observing an operation in Streatham, south London.
The enforcement action comes amid a broader government push to toughen immigration controls and curb illegal working. Home Office figures show that 8,232 illegal workers were arrested in the year to September—an increase of 63% from 5,043 in the previous 12 months.
Ministers have also been working with major delivery companies, including Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, to strengthen identity checks and tackle account-sharing abuses in the sector. In July, the Home Office agreed to share the locations of asylum hotels with delivery firms to target suspected hotspots of illegal working.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood last month announced a raft of reforms to the asylum system designed to make the UK less attractive to illegal migration and speed up removals.
Border Security Minister Alex Norris said the latest enforcement figures sent a “clear message”.
“If you are working illegally in this country, you will be arrested and removed,” he said. “As well as delivering record levels of enforcement, we are tightening the law to clamp down on illegal working in the delivery sector and root out this criminality from our communities.”
He added that the measures formed part of “the most sweeping changes to illegal migration in modern times”.
The crackdown follows the introduction of the government’s new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which became law earlier this week. The legislation closes a loophole allowing casual, temporary and subcontracted workers to avoid full immigration checks.
Under the new rules, employers who fail to verify workers’ legal status could face prison sentences of up to five years, fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker, and possible business closure.