Illegal working arrests in the UK have risen sharply since Labour came into government, with the Home Office saying the number of migrants detained for working unlawfully has more than doubled. The illegal working arrests figures show more than 17,000 arrests since July 2024, alongside what officials described as a record pace of raids and enforcement in the last six months.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the crackdown had reached the highest level in British history. She said illegal workers and rogue employers had nowhere to hide. The Home Office said the rise in activity reflects a major step-up in enforcement, while Reform UK dismissed the figures and accused Labour of insulting the public’s intelligence.
The department said raids on businesses have continued to climb, with 7,270 immigration raids carried out in the first six months of this year. That was up 31% on the same period last year. Those raids led to 4,756 arrests, a 20% increase. The government also said returns to home countries were up 50% since Labour took office, reaching 2,357.
London recorded the highest number of arrests, with 1,256, followed by the West Midlands and the South West of England. Arrests in the capital were up 32% on the same period in 2025. The West Midlands saw 701 arrests and the South West 693, rises of 22% and 44% respectively. Employers in beauty, retail and hospitality have also been hit with £74 million in civil penalties so far this year.
The latest illegal working arrests figures come after a series of operations across the country. On King’s Road in London, officers arrested 10 people over immigration offences after encountering 13 staff members at a restaurant. In March, raids targeting illegal construction workers led to 15 arrests. In June, raids on two large delivery depots in Newbury, Berkshire, and Basingstoke, Hampshire, resulted in nine arrests, mostly linked to overstaying and suspected illegal working.
