Indians among hundreds arrested in UK’s crackdown on two-wheeler riders suspected of working illegally

The UK authorities have arrested hundreds of people, including Indians, in a week-long crackdown on two-wheeler riders suspected of working illegally for delivery firms across the country.

The UK Home Office revealed this week that its Immigration Enforcement teams had conducted Operation Equalise recently as part of a “nationwide intensification week of activity” targeting illegal working hotspots with a focus on the migrants working as delivery riders.

Between July 20 and 27, a total of 1,780 individuals were stopped, leading to 280 arrests of migrants and asylum seekers found working without the requisite paperwork, the Home Office said. During one such raid, officers arrested seven Indian nationals at Hillingdon in west London, with five of them detained for illegal work activity.

“Illegal working undermines our border security and we’re cracking down hard on it. That’s why we have intensified our enforcement activity right across the UK to crack down on those who think they can evade immigration and employment laws in the UK," said Dame Angela Eagle, UK Minister for Border Security and Asylum.

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“This operation is just one example of our relentless efforts to bear down on organised immigration crime at every level in our communities," she said.

As a direct result of Operation Equalise, the Home Office said 53 individuals are now having their asylum support reviewed, which could result in their support being suspended or withdrawn.

The operation follows a warning issued by the Home Office last month that those in the food delivery business caught abusing the immigration system could face having their asylum support ceased, such as entitlement to accommodation or payments, and those caught working illegally facing removal from the UK.

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The Home Office said its Immigration Enforcement teams will also receive a GBP 5 million funding boost to ramp up illegal working intensification activity even further.