Immigration raids hit record levels across UK and Scotland

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.