Nine illegal workers have been arrested in West Cumbria during immigration raids.
Illegal workers and rogue businesses were targeted by the Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement teams on July 18 and July 19.
Officers visited five businesses premises, including a barber shop, two nail salons and two takeaways.
Eight men and one woman were arrested for having no Right to Work in the UK.
It included three people working illegally while they have an outstanding asylum claim, one working in breach of visa conditions, two working illegally after having their asylum claim rejected, two having entered the UK illegally and one overstaying their visa.
The individuals were of Iraqi and Vietnamese nationalities and the business premises included the following:
- Kings Barber, Lowther Street, Whitehaven
- Angel Nails, Campbell Savours Way, Workington
- Universe Nails, King Street, Whitehaven
All three premises were issued with civil penalty referral notices and could face hefty fines if they are found to have employed illegal workers and failed to conduct relevant pre-employment checks.
Josh Johns, chief immigration officer for North West Immigration Compliance and Enforcement team, said: “Illegal working will not be tolerated in our communities. It undercuts honest businesses, damages our economy and often leads to the exploitation of vulnerable people.
“That’s why we are ramping up our enforcement activity to crackdown on both illegal workers and unscrupulous employers who think they can get away with breaking our immigration rules.
“I hope these arrests send a clear message that there is no hiding place from the law and this type of criminality will be rooted out of our towns and villages across the region.”
In many cases, individuals travelling to the UK illegally are sold a lie by smuggling gangs that they will be able to live and work freely in the UK, when in reality they will often face squalid living conditions, minimal pay and inhumane working hours, with the threat of arrest and removal if they are caught working illegally.
