Immigration Enforcement activity has reached its highest level on record, with the Home Office reporting sharp increases in raids and arrests targeting illegal working across the UK, including a significant rise in operations in Scotland.
According to figures released by the Home Office, enforcement teams carried out more than 17,400 raids nationwide between July 2024 and the end of December 2025, a 77 per cent increase compared with the previous period. Arrests rose by 83 per cent over the same timeframe, with more than 12,300 people detained for suspected illegal working.
The Home Office said the increase followed a £5 million funding boost for Immigration Enforcement last year, aimed at expanding activity against employers and workers operating outside the legal system. Officials said raids focused on sectors considered vulnerable to exploitation and non-compliance, including car washes, nail bars, barbers, restaurants and takeaway premises.
In Scotland, Immigration Enforcement teams carried out 695 raids during 2025, leading to 400 arrests. The figures represent a 61 per cent rise in enforcement visits and a 49 per cent increase in arrests compared with 2024, according to the Home Office. The government said the crackdown forms part of a broader effort to reduce incentives for illegal migration, alongside increased removals. Ministers said around 50,000 people had been removed or deported over the past year, a 23 per cent increase compared with the previous government.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the rise in enforcement activity was intended to deny illegal working opportunities and disrupt criminal networks.
“There is no place for illegal working in our communities,” she said. “That is why we have surged enforcement activity to the highest level in British history so illegal migrants in the black economy have nowhere to hide. I will stop at nothing to restore order and control to our borders.”
The Home Office said all Immigration Enforcement teams are now equipped with body-worn video cameras, following a rollout that began in September last year. Officials said the technology is intended to support evidence gathering during raids and improve prosecution outcomes.
Brian Gillespie, Immigration Compliance and Enforcement Lead for Scotland, said enforcement activity would continue throughout the year.
“Not only is illegal working against the law but it undercuts honest businesses and damages our economy,” he said. “We will continue our relentless efforts throughout 2026 to ensure illegal workers and those who employ them face the full consequences.”
Examples cited by the Home Office included raids on hospitality and industrial premises across Scotland. In April, officers visited a takeaway in Dingwall where two Chinese nationals were arrested for illegal working and detained for removal. In October, a restaurant and takeaway in Newton Stewart was visited, leading to three arrests and the seizure of 1,600 cigarettes. In December, officers attended an industrial site in Kilwinning where ten Pakistani nationals were arrested, with nine detained pending removal and a civil penalty referral issued to the employer.
The government said forthcoming legislation will expand right-to-work checks to cover gig economy, casual, subcontracted and temporary workers, alongside the introduction of mandatory digital identification to verify eligibility to work in the UK by the end of the Parliament.
Ministers also pointed to increased activity by the Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce, which brings together the National Crime Agency, police forces and border authorities. The Home Office said migrant smuggling disruptions have risen by 33 per cent over the past year, with nearly 4,000 disruptions recorded since July 2024.
That all sounds surprisingly positive. I have all felt that simply trying to ‘stop the boats’ while illegal working apparently remained unchecked was a week and ineffective approach. These figures suggest that the illegal working problem is way bigger than many thought and the Home Office is likely only just starting to scratch the surface. Hopefully they will continue to tackle this issue, especially as it often amounts to modern day slavery.
Cheers CR
A lot of arm twisting and falling poll numbers finally got labour off their backsides
Better late than never
Probably no NI number, all “Cash in hand jobs”, never pay any tax, no contribution.
Only because they get hammered in the polls because of it, and other things, so they make a greater effort.
But yes, it sounds positive.
As Dave says below, how many actually get deported if illegal, rather than caught up in the system. I suspect very few.
It will be interesting when the next national census is due, I don’t think governments of the last 20 years have a clue how many people are actually here.
Pretty meaningless as the number of those deported is a fraction from those arrests. They will claim asylum and then just move into the long queue , getting legal aid and a pro migration lawyer. Plenty of time to “convert to Christianity ” or join some LGBT group to avoid deportation and get ILR
The easy hits will be booted. Working illegally or overstaying a visa should prevent an asylum claim but doesn’t.
This week we learn that a foreign terrorist held at Guantanamo , who has never set foot in the UK has sued us for compo. We also learn that an eastern European fraudster jailed for £54m fraud is still here claiming Universal credit on release.
Billions of wasted cash. Meanwhile our armed forces will face cuts.
It’s soft touch Britain…caused by soft brained liberals. The basic mantra of liberals is anyone that is right of centre is a racist, criminals commit crimes because they weren’t cuddled as babies and they had a bad home life, all foreigners are saints and angels and all working class native English people are devils…the UK’s history is fundamentally one of oppression of foreigners, taking of land illegally and slavery….Most of them haven’t bothered reading anything and get their values from the BBC, Channel 4, Sky, the Guardian, Independent and Observer. Frankly the UK is beyond hope and in a never ending doom loop even Reform I think can’t reverse this as the British people haven’t got the guts needed to do what really needs to be done to reverse this situation.
The police only police thought crimes and not actual crime, our military is anemic, our judges are woke, our welfare state is bloated and serves foreigners rather than native English, our NHS is a similar to the welfare state and is an NHS for the world, we don’t train our young people, we have net zero non-sense that is destroying industry, we have a massive balance of trade deficit, our foreign aid budget is out of control and too big, our state pension system is a Ponzi scheme, we have a large and growing national debt that exceeds GDP, we have a very low GDP per capita, our tax code is bloated and designed to dissuade innovators and hard working people, most immigrants and illegal migrants are grifters (and potential criminals) and dependent upon the state and we have no manufacturing….there are many others I have not stated.
Why is this article on this website? Is this a forum for ReformUK? Stick to defence matters please, as suggested by the title ukdefencejournal.
Agreed, or will the UKDJ be publishing articles about car theft and shoplifting in future.
Note to our American cousins – no unarmed civilians were shot in the face during any of these raids…
Were they arrested for posting on the internet?
Congratulations on the dumbest question of the day 🏆
Ignore these clowns. They hate it when immigration is brought up, even though many in the country consider it a security matter, which makes it appropriate for this site
I consider it a security matter that people like you that make racist comments and condone rape are walking free in this country.
Are you one of those self-hating “progressives” who hate the West and Christianity, who are in favor of the Islamization of Europe? Illegal immigration is a matter of national security.
Well, here we go again with the Keyboard Warrior Antics 😁🤦♂️