Almost 150 people arrested for illegal working in Northern Ireland amid Home Office crackdown
Immigration Enforcement officers have made more than 100 enforcement visits and nearly 150 arrests across Northern Ireland since last July in a crackdown by the Home Office against illegal working.
The latest figures represent a marked increase of 48 per cent compared to the previous year and highlight the Labour Government’s bid to tackle illegal immigration networks.
The Home Office said Immigration Enforcement teams have intensified activity to tackle those abusing the UK immigration system and exploiting vulnerable people. It forms part of the Government’s efforts to crack down on organised immigration crime under the Plan for Change.
Particular focus has been on tackling employers facilitating illegal working, often subjecting migrants to squalid conditions and illegal working hours below minimum wage.
Restaurants, nail bars and construction sites have been among the thousands of businesses targeted.
In Northern Ireland since July 5, 2024, to May 31, 2025, 113 visits resulted in 148 arrests, marking a 48 percent rise compared to the year before (July 5, 2023 to May 31, 2024).
The new measures come alongside a ramp-up of operational activity to restore control of the immigration system, including the return of nearly 30,000 people with no right to be in the UK.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: “This government is committed to tackling illegal working as we intensify our enforcement efforts to disrupt organised immigration networks at every level.
"There must be no hiding place from the law and these figures demonstrate our determination to curb immigration offending and disrupt unscrupulous employers.
"Under our Plan for Change, we are laser focussed on fixing our immigration system and securing our borders once and for all.”
During one major co-ordinated operation on March 19, officers made 36 arrests at a construction site in Belfast's historic Titanic Quarter. Offences ranged from breaching visa conditions to illegal entry in the UK with no permission to work.
Ramping up illegal working enforcement activity forms a key part of the Home Office’s drive to restore order to the immigration system under the UK Government’s Plan for Change.
In many cases, individuals travelling to the UK illegally are sold a lie by smuggling gangs that they will be able to live and work freely in the UK, when in reality they often end up facing squalid living conditions, minimal pay and inhumane working hours, with the threat of arrest and removal if they are caught working illegally.
In the latest move to restore order to the asylum and immigration system, the Government is also introducing tough new laws to clamp down on illegal working by extending Right to Work checks on those hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors like construction, food delivery, beauty salons and courier services.