Immigration enforcement teams have carried out a major series of operations across the West Midlands, resulting in scores of arrests at logistics and distribution sites. The Home Office has revealed a sharp rise in activity, with 1,254 arrests made in the region last year – a dramatic 76 per cent increase compared to 2024.
Major Raids in Wolverhampton and Dudley
The crackdown included targeted visits to several key businesses. On 13 May 2025, officers visited a large factory on Upper Villiers Street in Wolverhampton. A dozen illegal workers of Indian and Pakistani nationality were arrested. Seven were detained for removal from the UK, with five released on strict immigration bail.
Subsequent action took place at a Wolverhampton distribution centre on 4 June 2025. Upon the officers' arrival, two individuals attempted to flee on foot but were apprehended. Nine people were arrested at the scene, with a further two arrests following house searches. All were Indian nationals found to be working in breach of their student visas and were detained for removal. A revisit to the same site a week later led to four more arrests.
A significant operation unfolded at a courier depot in Dudley Port on 4 November 2025. Here, nineteen workers were arrested for illegal working, with eight detained for removal. The business was served with a Civil Penalty Referral Notice, and further inquiries are ongoing to establish employer liability, which could result in a substantial fine.
National Crackdown on Illegal Working
These local operations form part of a UK-wide surge in enforcement. Nationally, Immigration Enforcement teams conducted over 17,400 raids in the last year, a 77 per cent increase, leading to more than 12,300 arrests. This record level of activity was supported by a £5 million funding boost last year.
Matt Foster, Immigration Compliance and Enforcement Lead for the West Midlands, stated: "Illegal working will not be tolerated, and these statistics show how seriously we are treating this issue across the West Midlands. Our work will continue around the clock to enforce our immigration rules and ensure there is no hiding place from the law."
Government Strategy and New Powers
The government links this crackdown to its broader strategy to deter illegal migration and protect local communities. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "There is no place for illegal working in our communities. That is why we have surged enforcement activity to the highest level in British history so illegal migrants in the black economy have nowhere to hide."
New measures are being rolled out to support these efforts:
- All Immigration Enforcement officers are now equipped with body-worn video technology.
- The new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act will expand right-to-work checks to cover gig, casual, and subcontracted workers.
- The government plans to introduce mandatory digital ID to prove the right to work by the end of the Parliament.
- The Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce is intensifying efforts to dismantle smuggling gangs.
The government states this combined action aims to secure borders, remove the lure of illegal work, and support its pledge to remove 50,000 illegal migrants.
