World Immigration News

Home Office launches new immigration raids as it vaunts deportation numbers

Release Date: 2025-02-10
Media: The Guardian
Summary: The UK Home Office is intensifying immigration raids on illegal workers and highlighting record deportations as Labour seeks to counter the growing threat from Reform UK.

Under the Labour government, enforcement visits and arrests related to illegal working have increased by about 38% compared to the previous year. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to join a raid this week, and the government plans to broadcast footage of deportations.

Labour hopes this crackdown will retain voters tempted by Reform UK, emphasizing that over 16,400 failed asylum seekers, irregular migrants, and foreign criminals have been deported since the election, though more than half left voluntarily. However, some Labour MPs worry about a return to Theresa May’s controversial "hostile environment" policies.

Raids have focused on businesses like nail salons, convenience stores, restaurants, and car washes, with arrests in January rising by 73% year-on-year. The government argues that many illegal workers were misled into coming to the UK, though data suggests that most small boat arrivals are refugees rather than economic migrants.

Following Reform UK’s recent lead in a YouGov poll, Labour has adopted messaging similar to Reform’s, even using ads boasting about deportation numbers. Keir Starmer has warned that progressives have ignored public concerns on immigration for too long, signaling Labour's strategic shift to counter Reform’s growing influence.
Tags: UK

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