The UK government is set to deliver the highest number of immigration removals in five years, with nearly 13,500 people deported since the new administration took office, according to the Home Secretary. This surge in deportations is part of a broader crackdown on illegal working, a move aimed at dismantling the operations of criminal smuggling gangs, who exploit people in dangerous crossings, including the small boats in the English Channel.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper outlined the government’s aggressive approach to addressing illegal working in the UK. The introduction of new technologies will support frontline officers, enabling them to crack down on exploitative practices more effectively. The Home Office has pledged an investment of £8 million to boost immigration enforcement, including the rollout of body-worn cameras and biometric fingerprint kits to assist in arrests and prosecutions.
Speaking on the government’s efforts, Cooper stated: “Illegal working is a blight on our economy. It is deeply exploitative and undercuts those employers who do the right thing. Since the election, we have intensified our efforts to crackdown on exploitation, with a rise in operations and arrests, and we are on track to increase removals to the highest level in five years.”
In the past five months, the number of operations targeting illegal working has increased by nearly a third, compared to the same period last year. Six employers have been charged with hiring illegal workers during this time, compared to just four in the previous two and a half years.
The new technology includes £5 million to equip 1,200 immigration officers with body-worn cameras by 2025. These cameras will help collect evidence on illegal working raids, enabling better documentation of cases of exploitation, as well as supporting increased prosecutions. In addition, £3 million will be allocated for fingerprint kits, allowing officers to identify high-risk individuals more quickly and accurately, improving on-the-spot checks against police databases.
The crackdown on illegal working is seen as a critical component of the government’s wider plan to dismantle the operations of smuggling gangs. These gangs often exploit illegal workers in unsafe conditions and use them to fund their operations, including people trafficking across the Channel. The Home Office has launched new communications campaigns aimed at exposing the false promises made by these gangs to potential migrants.
Cooper also highlighted the importance of international collaboration in tackling smuggling networks. The Home Secretary visited Rome on December 14 to meet with Italy’s Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, to discuss coordinated action against people smuggling gangs and to target the financial networks that support immigration crime.
As part of the broader immigration enforcement strategy, the government has redeployed 1,000 additional staff to support efforts in this area. This move has helped facilitate the UK’s largest ever return flights, with more than 800 people deported on four bespoke charter flights, with a further 33 charter flights taking place in 2024 to return migrants to countries across the globe.
More than 2,100 foreign criminals have been removed from the UK since July 2024, marking a 20% increase compared to the same period last year. These removals include offenders convicted of serious crimes such as drug trafficking, theft, and violent offences.
