UK crackdown on illegal working leads to 12,300 arrests, including Indians
Country reports record-breaking levels of immigration enforcement in 2025, with arrests surging by over 80%
 "UK crackdown on illegal working leads to 12,300 arrests, including Indians")
A crackdown on migrants working in the United Kingdom (UK) illegally last year led to a surge in arrests, including those of Indians, the country’s government has said.
Immigration enforcement teams made over 17,400 raids across the UK in 2025, resulting in 8,971 arrests, the highest figures for any single year on record, according to the UK Home Office’s website. Since the Labour government took office in July 2024, over 17,483 visits and 12,322 arrests have been carried out, representing a 77 per cent increase in raids and an 83 per cent rise in arrests compared with the previous 18-month period.
Targeted sectors and regions
The Home Office reports that operations targeted businesses such as nail bars, car washes, barbers, takeaway shops, warehouses, and construction sites. London led in activity with 2,715 “visits” and 2,172 arrests, while the West Midlands and South West regions also saw substantial increases. A December 2025 raid on a Swindon construction site resulted in 30 arrests of Indian and Albanian nationals, with nearly all detained for removal from the UK, according to the Home Office.
Regional figures from the Home Office indicate that Wales recorded 1,320 visits and 649 arrests, up 103 per cent and 85 per cent, respectively, from 2024. Northern Ireland had 187 visits and 234 arrests, increases of 76 per cent and 169 per cent, while Scotland reported 695 visits and 400 arrests.
Government strategy and enforcement tools
The Home Office said the crackdown was helped by a 5-million-pound funding boost to Immigration Enforcement. Officers are now equipped with body-worn video technology to bolster arrests and prosecutions. The Home Office further reports that the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act expands right-to-work checks to include gig, casual, subcontracted, and temporary workers, while a new digital ID system will make it mandatory to prove eligibility to work in the UK.
Official statements
“There is no place for illegal working in our communities. We have surged enforcement activity to the highest level in British history so illegal migrants in the black economy have nowhere to hide,” the Home Office website quoted Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as saying.
The Home Office publication also notes that nearly 4,000 disruptions of migrant smuggling occurred in the past 12 months, and that enforced and voluntary returns reached 1,087 in 2025.