Twelve immigration offenders have been arrested following a Home Office raid on a bedding and mattress factory in the West Midlands
Immigration Enforcement officers descended on the business, acting on intelligence that illegal working was taking place on site.
They arrested 7 men – all Indian nationals – for suspected illegal working.
Four more Indian men were arrested at a nearby cake factory. They were found to be in breach of their visa conditions and one was also working illegally.
An Indian woman was then arrested for immigration offences at a private home, with further raids planned throughout the afternoon.
Four of the offenders were detained pending consideration for removal from the UK. The remaining 8 were bailed on the condition they report regularly to the Home Office.
The 2 businesses could now face substantial fines if it is established they have employed illegal workers and have failed to conduct relevant pre-employment checks.
In February this year, the Home Office tripled fines for employers who allow illegal migrants to work for them. For a first breach this has gone from £15,000 to £45,000 per illegal worker and for repeat breaches within 3 years the fines have increased from £20,000 to £60,000.
Michael Tomlinson MP, Minister for Countering Illegal Migration, said:
Eddy Montgomery, Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime at the Home Office said:
More information on our increased fines can be found on GOV.UK
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