Firms tackled over illegal immigrants

10:16am Thursday 8th May 2008

A CRACKDOWN on illegal workers has been hailed a success by immigration bosses.

Since the launch of civil penalties, which came into force on February 29, covert operations fronted by the UK Border Agency have led to 14 employers in York and North Yorkshire being served with notices of potential liability for knowingly employing illegal workers.

Teams of officers from the agency conducted the "intelligence-led" visits, going to businesses to establish whether staff had the right to work in the UK, and 30 suspected illegal immigrants have been arrested.

The new systems of civil penalties mean the businesses could face fines of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker employed in the business. The 14 businesses now face a collective fine of up to £300,000.

Last month, two York restaurants were the target of a clandestine operation by the UK Border Agency which uncovered four suspected illegal immigrant workers.

The Gate of India, in Clifton Green, and Tandoori Nights, in Bootham, were raided by officers and nine workers were questioned about their right to work in the UK.

If the businesses are found knowingly to have employed illegal immigrants they could collectively face fines of up to £90,000.

Chris Hudson, the agency's regional director for the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "Each week we conduct several visits to local employers suspected of employing illegal workers which has resulted in 14 notices of potential liability being served since the launch of civil penalties which relate to over 30 people found working illegally."

Mr Hudson said the recent positive figures sent out a clear message to employers - that the UK Border Agency will not tolerate illegal working: "Cracking down on illegal working is one of our priorities," he said. "We will seek to remove from the UK anyone we find flouting immigration laws.

"We carry out frequent operations in York, so if you're working without permission, or employing illegal workers, you're likely to get caught. We will not tolerate illegal working and that is why the UK Border Agency is investing more money in enforcement and forging ever-closer links with the police.

"Many employers work with us to ensure they only employ legal workers.

"But for those employers who do not take this issue seriously, our message is simple: if you employ illegal workers, you could face fines or prosecution."

In the last two months, the number of enforcement operations across the UK has risen by 40 per cent and fines of more than £500,000 have been handed out.

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