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.
Just waiting for that guy to come on and call you all far right racists. What’s his name?
Ah! I see him below.
Live long and prosper!
All I can say is: “Free Iran.”
I love it how the pro Gaza pro Hamas anti western imperialist far left sorts are silent as the Iranian regime kill, maim, and abuse women.
Where are the protests now.
The Iranians are Persians, not Arabs, and I wish them well.
Farage was out in support of their demonstration as well. Again, hillarious that the BBC ignored that one.
Agreed mate!
Hi Daniele,
The article does say that 50,000 have been removed or deported, up 26% on the previous year. I assume the former means they went of their own accord… I still think the best way to make the UK less attractive is to make it demonstrably harder to work here, especially illegally. That means sending illegal workers home but also and most crucially prosecute employers as well to cut off demand.
As for the polls, etc., that is democracy so I don’t see that as a weakness to be fair.
Cheers CR
I quite agree mate, every little helps.
There is no deterrent and we are seen as a soft touch.
Once that changes, maybe we see a reduction in illegals. Not immigrants, illegals.
Immigration is necessary.
But so is integration.
Once again, mate, it seems we are on the same page. 🙂
Cheers CR
Mate most arrested go to a DC, detention centre, and are able to jump a few hoops and get released on immigration bail. Most claim asylum etc once in, claim to be a victim of modern slavery etc and get a number of opportunities to work their case with certain legal companies on legal aid, can also get a JR to review any decision against them.
Jail deportations are up for the simple fact the Albanian lads all demand to get a DO, deportation order and leave on charter flights. My post to the bottom explains a little better I hope, but be aware most of these figures is nothing about Labour getting tough, more about paying more cash and a much shorter UK sentence. A good thing yes, but the numbers deported from UK jails are proportional the same as ever due to the increase of certain nationalities being banged up. Cheers.
I remember many years back you discussing your experience in a certain job and place, mate
👍
All makes sense.
Beware the spin, it’s not just in defence with these people.
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.
Isn’t that self-evident.
The stupid always add 2 and 2 together and fail to get 4…
Self loathing moron!
No, I just loathe you
He is quite the moron, isn’t he.🤣
No I’m one of those people who believe in capitalist, a strong military, the progress of science, and the superiority of western civilisation. But I also believe it possible to be on the right of politics without being a knuckle-dragging, science denying, racist.
I realise that’s probably a radical concept to you. 🤷🏻♂️
“Knuckle dragging, Science denying racist.” Where did you get that from?
Well what’s sauce for the goose…..
Unlike you, I don’t support paedophile rape gangs getting off scott free and calling their victims far right racists when they campaign for justice. That’s probably because you’re a practicing paedo yourself.
Well you lived up to my character assessment with that reply.
As for pedophilia… given your obsession with it, it sounds like you’re projecting your own perversions on others.
You really are a low IQ far left imbecile, aren’t you. My God your level of stupid is just beyond comprehension.
This mindset is a major reason Europe is in the mess it’s in. The problem isn’t immigration alone, it’s the collapse of confidence in Western culture and institutions. When societies no longer believe their values, laws, or way of life are worth defending, borders become negotiable, laws are enforced selectively, and integration becomes optional.
Integration only works when newcomers are expected to adapt to a clearly defined host culture. Instead, Europe has convinced itself that asserting norms is somehow immoral. That retreat from self-belief doesn’t produce tolerance — it produces fragmentation, parallel societies, and the steady erosion of state authority.
Power vacuums do not remain empty. When the state refuses to enforce its own standards, other identities and belief systems step in to fill the gap. Over time, this undermines social cohesion, fuels public anger, and turns immigration into a national security issue by default.
Europe’s problem isn’t hostility to newcomers, but uncertainty about itself. A society that doubts its own legitimacy will always struggle to defend its borders, its laws, or its values.
🤣
Great comeback…
You only got upset with the article because you’re worried about the five vape shops in your town centre closing.
Don’t worry — I’m sure you’ll find something else to suck on 👍
Only sad losers such as yourself vape or smoke. Personally I’d ban them, along with tobacco – which would actually put off a lot of migrants…
Just because you live in a run-down town that only has vape, charity, and phone shops, you shouldn’t assume everyone else does. But making assumptions is yet another trait of the political extremist due to your narrow world-view.
🤣🤣🤣
No doubt he will but he’ll call you a racist for highlighting his “little” proclivities.🤣🤣🤣
There is absolutely no evidence of racism in these comments at all. If someone says something that you disagree; they’re racist.
You’re just a troll, plain and simple. It’s quite possible you are suffering from a psychological disorder, as you come across as irrational and very much like a Trump or a Musk.
Seek help!
THIS IS A REPLY TO SPOCK
Hilarious, because it’s Trump that SHOUTS IN CAPS in his posts… as you just did 😂
I think it’s pretty clear you’re the one with deep-seated psychological issues.
Boom, mic drop!
Reply to Chris.
Too stupid to reply to the correct post 😂
How old are you? There should be an age limit to people commenting on this forum.
It is difficult to see who is replying to who on this new forum layout, especially on android. It is extremely difficult to read the comments, as you can only see a few letters on each line instead of sentences.
BTW I’m replying to Spock.
Ah… too poor to afford an iPhone, no wonder you have a chip on your shoulder.
Well said!
Well, here we go again with the Keyboard Warrior Antics 😁🤦♂️
I think it’s a shame that social, political and economic positions on either side of the aisle have been subsumed into the blanket ‘left/right’ spectrum.
There’s a terrifying decline in peoples’ ability to articulate their ideas clearly, and an even more disturbing inability for those who respond to those ideas to actually consider what it being said instead of resorting to vitriol.
But, in response to the article, better application of the law is always welcome in my book. Glad these raids have so far remained non-violent (from what I’ve seen).
I’m just glad i’m not Religious, Political or a Football supporter ( the Rangers comment Is just random humour !)
Interesting comments here today ! Very Adult 😁😁😁🤦♂️
We all originally came over in ‘small boats’, didn’t we? We are all immigrants. We all come from somewhere else. Unfortunately, this website attracts people who are little soldier boys who love guns and bangs, but are intellectually stunted. But it’s good fun goading them!
No we didn’t because Britain was originally attached to mainland Europe so good news for Remainers but of course eventually the land bridge was breached and we sailed away into those blessed sunlight uplands.
One thing that seems to have died in the UK is the ability to debate any serious issues, perhaps to agree to disagree but have a normal conversation without insults being handed about to people that ultimately that we don’t even know.
You could argue we have entered a new dark age despite all our so called progress.
“We all originally came over in ‘small boats’, didn’t we? We are all immigrants……”
Not true, that does not take into account the original indigenous (Ancient Britons) and their descendent’s.
“Unfortunately, this website attracts people who are little soldier boys…”
Why are you on here then?
Do you have any interest in defence issues?
Or are you just another woke troll looking to ‘out’ racists?
Whilst I agree it’s a strange defence of the issue to claim ‘we’re all immigrants’, I don’t think the reference to Ancient Britons is very useful either.
The amount of mixture between generations of British people means that the percentage of the population that are only descended from Ancient Britons will be miniscule, if it exists at all. For example, the vast majority of the North have distinct Scandinavian ancestry.
So, no-one has Celtic heritage then?
Holy whataboutism.
Read what was written.
‘the population that are ONLY descended from Ancient Britons will be minuscule’
I greatly doubt that there are loads of people running around the purely Celtic ancestry.
I’m more a Rangers fan. 😁
You totally missed my point too.
My post was countering the assertion “We all originally came over in ‘small boats”
I said nothing about purity.
No, I get what you’re trying to say – I’m just saying that it’s a bad counter-argument, because it relies on this assumption that the vast majority of the British population are not descended from some form of immigration, be it Nordic, French, et cetera. That’s why you started talking about Celts.
The issue is that the assumption there is flawed. Without those various historical waves of immigration, the current population (including you or I) would not exist.
Oh dear, history and general knowledge not your strong points it would seem.
Only about 40 years too late
Hello Enoch, nice to see you 😅😅😅
(wish I had 20 different accounts here 🤦♂️)
One is plenty for me tbh. I rarely post here these days. Don’t get time.
No such ‘race’ ’ or ‘breed’ as Celts. Myth, I’m afraid. As for ‘ancient’ Britons? That’s me. Let’s get back to discussing what we really like – bombs, missiles, submarines and things that go ‘whoosh’ ‘bang’ etc that are outdated before they’re built but make some people a lot of dosh.
You have to be a troll, and not a very good one for such dumb and so easily refuted chuff that your spouting! Alas it appears Iran has its internet back.
Lots of disinformation and “whataboutery” when politicians discus immigration and numbers arrested and removed. Few points to note, the increase in arrests are mostly from the Vietnamese community who are working nail bars and the like. Large increase in Chinese nationals overstaying being pulled in and uni students visa overstaying also. Most will go to a detention centre, held on a IS91 which is authority to detain, probably Colnebrook or Harmondsworth, for any period in detention. However most will then request the right to remain, for various reasons, this goes on and on, and when all else fails they claim asylum and if fails, have two opportunities and a JR. They can then go down the modern slavery route and it all starts again. Most are then released on immigration bail to disappear once more.
The Government likes to crow about the increase of deportations of men who are convicted of a crime and are in jail. Sorry to blow the gates open but the reasons the numbers have increased is that certain nationalities always requested to be deported, these being Albanian, Somali nationals with the dual citizenship of Norway, Sweden and Holland and the blokes from the Baltic states. I’m fact they cause a lot of trouble in jail if not being issued with a Deportation Order ASP. If serving under a 5 year sentence they are going to be eligible to be deported or released into the community at the 33% time served, also minus any remand time. The fact they are going can be seen as a good thing, however they mostly spend a few weeks in Tirana and then make their way back. But let’s get away from the fact deportations are up due to the Labour Government, sorry no it’s the opening up of the FRS scheme, the facilitated return scheme which pays £1500 for anyone signing to go back to their county of origin (this figure is going up) and the fact numbers of FNOs in jail have increased proportionally to the numbers being removed. Anyway, let’s talk about some military stuff, it’s more fun and the Government also lie about that as well!