Big rise in bosses fined for taking on illegal immigrants

Published on Monday 5 May 2008 21:57

A MAJOR increase in the number of employers prosecuted for hiring illegal immigrants has been revealed.

In the two months since a change in the law came into effect at the end of February, 137 firms have been caught employing staff illegally.

The figure is ten times the number caught in the whole of 2007, and more than double the number of companies prosecuted in the past decade.

Liam Byrne, the Immigration Minister, said: "There are dodgy employers out there who are trying to undercut their competitors and drive down British wages by employing people illegally, so we've come up with this new way of taking much faster, on-the-spot action.

"It's quite clear that this new regime, which is part of a big shake-up of Britain's border security, is already beginning to work."

Employers face fines of up to 10,000 for each illegal immigrant they employ.

In the past two months, fines of roughly 500,000 have been handed out. Persistent offenders also face jail.

In one enforcement operation, 60 UK Border Agency officers raided a chicken processing factory in Derbyshire. Officers found a large processing room with 56 workers, all from overseas, 22 of them illegal immigrants.

They came from countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. However, only two were deported immediately.

Investigations into the owners of the company, which has not been named, are continuing and so far no fines have been levied.

The Lib Dems welcomed the government's crackdown on employers, but said it was long overdue.

Chris Huhne, the home affairs spokesman, told the BBC: "If we are going to be effective in reducing employers employing illegal immigrants, then it's not good enough just to have a little blitz with a few prosecutions in one year."