UK immigration enforcement teams made more than 600 arrests in January, marking a 73 percent increase compared to the same period last year. This surge in arrests, totaling 609 compared to 352 in January 2024, is part of the Labour government’s strategy to combat undocumented migration and dismantle people-smuggling gangs. The arrests were made during visits to over 800 premises, including nail bars, restaurants, car washes, and convenience stores.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Upon taking office last year, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer swiftly abandoned the controversial Rwanda deportation plan proposed by his Conservative predecessor, Rishi Sunak. Instead, Starmer pledged to “smash the gangs” responsible for illegal migration.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper explained that employers had long exploited illegal migrants, with little enforcement action taken. She emphasized that the government is now ramping up enforcement and passing tough new legislation to dismantle the criminal gangs undermining the UK’s border security.
Undocumented migration, especially via small, unsafe boats crossing the English Channel from northern France to southern England, was a key issue during the July general election that brought Starmer’s Labour Party into power. Current migration levels are historically high, with an estimated 728,000 migrants arriving in the year leading up to June 2024.
In an effort to curb both legal and undocumented migration, Starmer is also strengthening border security and international cooperation. New agreements with European countries such as Germany and Iraq aim to combat smuggling gangs. Additionally, the UK government points to an increase in the return of irregular migrants to their countries of origin, the highest since 2017.
The Labour government is also advancing the Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill, which is set to give law enforcement counter-terrorism-style powers to dismantle smuggling gangs and address the growing migration crisis. The Bill is due for its second reading in parliament on Monday.
