As part of the new Labour government's commitment to combat unlawful migration and people smuggling gangs, UK immigration enforcement teams made over 600 arrests in january, a 73 percent rise compared to the same month last year, authorities said on Monday.

According to a government statement, 609 arrests were made during raids to more than 800 locations, including convenience shops, restaurants, nail salons, and vehicle washes, up from 352 in january 2024.
 
When Labour prime minister Keir Starmer took office last year, he quickly abandoned the idea of his Conservative predecessor, Rishi Sunak, to deport new immigrants to rwanda to discourage illegal migration to the UK.

Rather, he promised to "smash the gangs" in order to reduce the numbers.
 
Employers have been allowed to "exploit illegal migrants and too many people have been able to arrive and work illegally with no enforcement action ever taken" for far too long, according to home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
 
"We are boosting enforcement to record levels alongside tough new legislation to smash the criminal gangs that undermine our border security and who have been getting away with it for far too long," she stated.
 
When Starmer's Labour party won the general election in July of last year, one of the main issues was the undocumented movement of individuals from northern france to southern england using small, dangerous boats over the english Channel.
 
Another contentious subject at the elections was regular migration, which is now operating at historically high levels and is projected to reach 728,000 for the year ending june 2024.
 
In order to counteract the surging popularity of Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK party, which received over four million votes in the July 4 poll—an extraordinary number for a far-right party—Starmer must cut back on both legal and illegal migration.
 
According to preliminary data from the interior ministry, 36,816 individuals were found in the Channel in 2024, a 25% rise over the 29,437 who entered in 2023.
 
Starmer has also established a new Border Security Command and bolstered collaboration with european partners, including as Europol, as part of his strategy to decrease unauthorized migration.
 
In an effort to combat the smuggling gangs, britain has inked cooperative action plans with germany and Iraq. They expand on prior accords, such as those with france and Albania, that were struck by the previous Conservative administration.
 
Additionally, the government reports that the number of irregular migrants returning to their home countries has increased, reaching its highest level since 2017.
 
Monday marks the second reading of its new Border Security, Asylum ,and Immigration Bill, which would provide law enforcement officers "counter-terror style powers" to disband gangs that are transporting undocumented people across the Channel.
 
 
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SIBY JEYYA

10/02/2025 09:42 AM