Over 600 arrested in January raids targeting undocumented workers and smuggling gangs
UK immigration teams arrested over 600 people in January 2025, marking a 73 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The crackdown is part of the Labour government’s renewed efforts to curb undocumented migration and dismantle human smuggling gangs.
According to a government statement, immigration officers carried out raids on more than 800 premises, including nail salons, restaurants, car washes, and convenience stores, resulting in 609 arrests. This is a significant rise from the 352 arrests recorded in January 2024.
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who took office last year, scrapped the controversial plan introduced by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda. Instead, Starmer promised to “smash the gangs” responsible for human trafficking and illegal border crossings.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized the importance of enforcing immigration laws, saying, “Employers have for too long exploited illegal migrants, and too many people have been able to arrive and work illegally with no enforcement action ever taken.”
She added, “We are boosting enforcement to record levels alongside tough new legislation to smash the criminal gangs that undermine our border security and who have been getting away with it for far too long.”
Undocumented migration, particularly involving risky crossings of the English Channel in small boats, was a central issue during last July’s general election, which brought Starmer’s Labour Party to power. In 2024, over 36,000 people were detected making the dangerous Channel crossing, a 25 percent rise from the previous year.
The government has also faced pressure to address legal migration, which reached a historic high of 728,000 in the year leading to June 2024. Starmer aims to reduce both forms of migration amid growing support for Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party, which secured nearly four million votes during the last election.
To combat the crisis, Starmer’s administration has launched a new Border Security Command and strengthened international cooperation with European partners like Europol. The UK has also signed joint action plans with Germany and Iraq to disrupt smuggling networks, expanding on earlier agreements with France and Albania.
The government reported a rise in the return of irregular migrants to their home countries, the highest figure recorded since 2017.
On Monday, the UK Parliament will begin the second reading of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. The proposed law would grant enforcement agencies “counter-terror style powers” to target criminal gangs bringing undocumented migrants across the Channel.
