Arrests of migrants working illegally in the UK have doubled since Labour came into power, new Home Office stats have revealed.
More than 17,000 illegal working arrests have been made since July 2024, a 122 per cent increase on the two previous years, with almost 25,000 visits carried out across the country, a 111 per cent increase.
For those arrested for working illegally since July 2024, there has been a 50 per cent rise in individuals being returned to their home countries, a total of 2,357.
The figures are being released after a week-long, multi-agency “crackdown” on organised immigration crime across the UK in June.
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The Home Office said that in the first six months of 2026, the number of illegal working visits rose to 7,270, a 31 per cent increase on the same period last year, leading to 4,756 arrests, a 20 per cent rise.
There has been a record number of arrests and raids of illegal workers have been made in Northern Ireland in a “crackdown”, the Home Office has said.
Also, the number of immigration enforcement visits and arrests has risen by 43 per cent and 16 per cent respectively in the last six months, according to official figures.
This activity has been described as seeing 103 visits resulting in 123 arrests in 2026 so far, following targeted action across all business sectors across the region.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood hailed the “highest level” of enforcement activity in British history.
She said: “Illegal working undercuts honest workers and legal businesses. This government has put more resources into immigration enforcement to crack down on it.
“This surge in enforcement activity takes us to the highest level in British history. Illegal workers and rogue employers have nowhere to hide.”
However, Reform UK said Labour was “insulting the intelligence of the British public” with today’s new figures.
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Breaking it down by region, the highest arrest rates were in London, the West Midlands and South West England.
Official figures showed 701 arrests were made in the West Midlands and 693 in the South West, marking a 22 per cent and 44 per cent increase respectively.
In Scotland, while there had been a six per cent increase in visits, from 272 to 287, there had been a five per cent decrease in arrests, dropping from 187 to 177.
Over in Wales, the number of arrests had also dropped slightly, from 320 to 313, a fall of minus two per cent.
Immigration enforcement and Compliance Lead for Northern Ireland Paul McHarron said: “Our enforcement activity continues day in, day out, across Northern Ireland.
“We want our communities to know we are cracking down on this illegal activity and ensuring businesses play by the rules.”
Opposition parties were quick to criticise the figures, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp saying “illegal working is booming because Labour have turned Britain into a soft touch”.
Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf told the BBC: “The British public can see the scourge of illegal working growing all around them.
“Labour is only insulting their intelligence by claiming it is not.”
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