The UK Home Office has announced more than 280 arrests of immigrants during a nationwide enforcement drive targeting illegal delivery riders. The week-long operation, codenamed Operation Equalize, ran from 20 to 27 July 2025 and focused on illegal working hotspots in the gig economy, where migrants and asylum seekers were found working without legal permission.
Immigration Enforcement teams stopped and questioned 1,780 individuals, leading to 280 arrests for illegal working. Of those, 53 immigrants now face a review of their asylum support, which could result in the suspension or withdrawal of housing or financial assistance.
The crackdown comes with a £5 million funding boost to Immigration Enforcement, part of a £100 million border security package announced earlier this week. The funding will allow more frequent revisits to illegal working hotspots and strengthen intelligence-gathering operations.
Enforcement teams also issued 51 civil penalty referral notices to businesses, including car washes, restaurants and retail outlets, suspected of employing immigrants without proper work authorisation. Police forces supported the operation, seizing 71 vehicles, including 58 e-bikes, along with £8,000 in cash and illicit goods valued at around £460,000.
Notable incidents included the arrest of seven Indian nationals in Hillingdon, West London, with five detained; three arrests in Dumfries, Scotland, during a tobacco control operation; and two arrests in Birmingham city centre, where police also seized five e-bikes.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum Dame Angela Eagle said, “Illegal working undermines our border security and we’re cracking down hard on it. This government is making sure rules are respected and enforced – this operation is just one example of our relentless efforts to bear down on organised immigration crime at every level in our communities.”
Eddy Montgomery, Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime at the Home Office, said, “We continue to intensify our activity against those who think they can get away with working illegally. My teams have been taking action around the clock, all across the country.”
The UK government is also moving to make it a legal requirement for all employers, including gig economy companies, to check that any immigrant they hire has the legal right to work. This measure will be included in the upcoming Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.
Since last year, the government says it has returned 35,000 immigrants with no legal right to remain in the UK, including failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders, while reducing the number of asylum hotels in operation.
Immigration Enforcement teams stopped and questioned 1,780 individuals, leading to 280 arrests for illegal working. Of those, 53 immigrants now face a review of their asylum support, which could result in the suspension or withdrawal of housing or financial assistance.
The crackdown comes with a £5 million funding boost to Immigration Enforcement, part of a £100 million border security package announced earlier this week. The funding will allow more frequent revisits to illegal working hotspots and strengthen intelligence-gathering operations.
Enforcement teams also issued 51 civil penalty referral notices to businesses, including car washes, restaurants and retail outlets, suspected of employing immigrants without proper work authorisation. Police forces supported the operation, seizing 71 vehicles, including 58 e-bikes, along with £8,000 in cash and illicit goods valued at around £460,000.
Notable incidents included the arrest of seven Indian nationals in Hillingdon, West London, with five detained; three arrests in Dumfries, Scotland, during a tobacco control operation; and two arrests in Birmingham city centre, where police also seized five e-bikes.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum Dame Angela Eagle said, “Illegal working undermines our border security and we’re cracking down hard on it. This government is making sure rules are respected and enforced – this operation is just one example of our relentless efforts to bear down on organised immigration crime at every level in our communities.”
Eddy Montgomery, Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime at the Home Office, said, “We continue to intensify our activity against those who think they can get away with working illegally. My teams have been taking action around the clock, all across the country.”
The UK government is also moving to make it a legal requirement for all employers, including gig economy companies, to check that any immigrant they hire has the legal right to work. This measure will be included in the upcoming Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.
Since last year, the government says it has returned 35,000 immigrants with no legal right to remain in the UK, including failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders, while reducing the number of asylum hotels in operation.
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