Six arrested in illegal working crackdown

Six people have been arrested by immigration enforcement officers as part of a crackdown on illegal working in the Glasgow area.

Officers from Scotland’s Immigration, Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) Team acting on intelligence visited five restaurants and fast food premises in an operation on Thursday evening.

The Home Office said four men and two women were arrested for allegedly having no right to work in the UK and overstaying their visas.

Five of those arrested have been placed on strict immigration bail and are required to report regularly to the Home Office, while one has been detained pending their removal from the UK, it said.

Illegal working will not be tolerated under this Government

Those arrested included Indian, Iraqi, Colombian, Spanish and Portuguese nationals.

All five premises were issued with civil penalty referral notices and the employers could face a fine if found liable, the Home Office said.

Lynne Davidson, HM Inspector, Scotland ICE Team, said: “There is no excuse for ignoring employment and immigration rules and those who do should be in no doubt that they will face the full consequences.

“Businesses have a legal requirement to carry out right to work checks on employees and we will continue to pursue unscrupulous employers and those who break immigration laws.”

The Home Office said that in many cases people travelling to the UK are lied to by smuggling gangs who say they will be able to live and work freely when in reality they often have to work inhumane hours, and endure squalid living conditions and minimal pay.

Minister for border security and asylum Dame Angela Eagle said: “Illegal working will not be tolerated under this Government.

“That’s why we are clamping down on those who abuse our system and going after organised criminals who sell false promises to migrants about their ability to live and work in the UK.

“This operation is just one example of the continuous targeted action we’re taking right across the UK to hold rogue employers accountable and finally restore fairness and integrity to our immigration system.”