New figures reveal nearly 50% rise in arrests over illegal working in Northern Ireland
Immigration Enforcement teams have made over 100 enforcement visits and nearly 150 arrests in Northern Ireland since the general election as part of a Home Office drive to combat illegal working.
The figures mark a 48% rise compared to the previous year, with restaurants, nail bars and construction sites being among the thousands of businesses targeted.
Particular focus has been on tackling employers facilitating illegal working, often subjecting migrants to squalid conditions and illegal working hours below minimum wage.
It forms part of the Government’s efforts to crack down on organised immigration crime at every level under the Plan for Change.
Since 5 July last year, to 31 May, 113 visits resulted in 148 arrests, marking a 48% rise compared to the year before (5 July 2023 to 31 May 2024).
The action forms part of a nationwide intensification which has seen illegal working visits increase by 48% and arrests spike by 51% across the UK.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: “This government is committed to tackling illegal working as we intensify our enforcement efforts to disrupt organised immigration networks at every level.
“There must be no hiding place from the law and these figures demonstrate our determination to curb immigration offending and disrupt unscrupulous employers.
“Under our Plan for Change, we are laser focussed on fixing our immigration system and securing our borders once and for all.”
During one major co-ordinated operation on 19 March this year, officers made 36 arrests at a construction site in Belfast's historic Titanic Quarter. Offences ranged from breaching visa conditions to illegal entry in the UK with no permission to work.