Photo credit: Sky News
Hundreds of arrests have been made across the UK in “week-long crackdown” crackdown on asylum seekers taking jobs for delivery firms.
SKY News reports that out of the 1,780 people who were stopped and spoken to over suspected illegal working activity between 20 and 27 July, 280 were arrested in areas like Hillingdon, Dumfries, and Birmingham.
89 of them are being detained pending removal from the country, and 53 are having their asylum support reviewed. The government has said that after the review, their support could be suspended or withdrawn.
The Home Office described the operation as a “nationwide intensification week” targeting illegal working hotspots with a focus on gig economy, where work is assigned on a short-term or job-by-job basis, and people working as food delivery riders.
Immigration enforcement teams will receive 5 million pounds from the 100 million pounds funding already announced for border security.
Border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said, “Illegal working undermines our border security and we’re cracking down on it.
“That’s why we have intensified our enforcement activity right across the UK to crack down on those who think they can evade immigration and employment laws in the UK.”
Asylum seekers in the UK are normally barred from work while their claim is being processed. However, permission can be applied for after a year of waiting.
