24,000+ removed from UK; illegal immigration makes me angry: PM Starmer

"More than 24,000 illegal immigrants in the UK have been removed since July 2024, the highest return rate in eight years," said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

 

Speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit on Monday, Starmer said the scale of illegal immigration “makes me angry” and called for countries to treat people-smuggling gangs like terrorist groups. The summit was attended by representatives from over 40 countries and organisations.

 

“It undermines our ability to control who comes here and that makes people angry. It makes me angry, frankly,” said Starmer. “Because it is unfair on ordinary working people who pay the price, from the cost of hotels to our public services struggling under the strain. And it is unfair on the illegal migrants themselves because these are vulnerable people being ruthlessly exploited by vile gangs.”

 

 

Removal figures and enforcement

 

Between July 5, 2024 and March 22, 2025, the government returned 24,103 individuals. This includes:

 

< 6,339 enforced returns of people with no legal right to remain  

< 3,594 foreign national offenders  

< 6,781 asylum-related returns  

< 46 charter flights to countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America  

 

This nine-month stretch marks the highest return figures since January to September 2017, when there were 25,225 returns.

 

The rise, Starmer said, followed the redeployment of UK Home Office staff to focus on returns and illegal working enforcement.  

 

Crackdown on illegal working

 

Enforcement visits targeting illegal work rose by 40% compared to the previous year, with 6,784 visits carried out between July 5, 2024 and March 22, 2025. This led to 4,779 arrests — up from 3,375 the year before.

 

During the same period, 1,508 civil penalty notices were issued to employers. Businesses found employing illegal workers now face fines of up to £60,000 per worker.

 

Starmer said the UK was now taking a “hard graft” approach involving international cooperation and tougher enforcement. Since taking office, the government has signed bilateral agreements with France, Germany, Italy and Balkan countries.

 

Martin Hewitt, the UK’s Border Security Commander, has been negotiating new agreements to link up policing, intelligence, and border agencies abroad. Joint investigations with the National Crime Agency have already led to arrests of senior smuggling figures.

 

“Immigration crime funds the vile people-smuggling gangs that trade in human misery, breach our borders and threaten Britain’s economic security,” said Starmer. “This government is taking back control, doing the hard graft needed to deliver results, working with our international allies to smash these gangs and secure our borders.”

 

He added, “We’ve already removed more than 24,000 people with no right to be here and we’re finally shutting down exploitative illegal working, dismantling criminal networks, while forcing people-smuggling gangs out of business.” 

RETURNED: More than 24,000 people who have no legal right to be in the UK, including 3,594 foreign national offenders.  This is the highest returns rate for eight years and the four biggest return flights ever.  Our Plan for Change is securing our borders. pic.twitter.com/gMW1pPxdza

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 31, 2025

 

Starmer said the UK was no longer “a soft touch,” adding, “No more gimmicks, no empty promises, just serious action for British security.”

 

He also referred to new legislation, the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which includes powers to:

 

Seize mobile phones to identify smugglers  

Prosecute those who endanger lives at sea  

Enforce right-to-work checks on every employer  

 

While Starmer did not name specific countries in his remarks, the statement comes two weeks after a BBC investigation revealed large-scale visa fraud in Kerala, India. Read full story here

 

The report said thousands of Keralite nurses had been exploited after the UK added care workers to its shortage occupation list during the Covid pandemic. The listing allowed care homes to sponsor overseas staff, making the visa a popular route for those seeking better prospects.

 

Baiju Thittala, mayor of Cambridge and a Labour party member, told the BBC he had supported at least 10 such victims over the past three years.

 

In Ernakulam rural district, police said they receive complaints daily from people who say they were duped by agents offering jobs abroad.

 

“This is not just about one or two isolated cases. There’s a pattern here,” a senior officer had said. “Fraudsters are swindling lakhs of rupees from unsuspecting people by falsely promising them jobs in countries such as Europe, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand.”

 

Ketan Mukhija, senior partner at Burgeon Law, told Business Standard the frauds were closely linked to migration patterns.

 

“Fraudsters target individuals from Kerala primarily due to their strong aspirations for better employment opportunities abroad,” said Mukhija. “Many migrants are driven by economic necessity and the desire to support their families, making them more susceptible to scams that promise high-paying jobs.”

 

He said victims often don’t pursue legal action due to cost. “Lawyers are expensive, and these workers are already in deep debt.”

 

Thittala estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 Keralites affected by visa fraud or exploitation are still in the UK. Hundreds more remain in India, unable to leave after losing money.

 

In Kothamangalam, a small town in Ernakulam, BBC reporters met around 30 people who said they had collectively lost millions of rupees while attempting to secure care visas for the UK.

 

From January 2024, the UK tightened care visa rules, raising the minimum salary threshold, banning dependents, and blocking employers from passing on sponsor licence costs to workers.