Twenty four UKBA officers and police officers’ targeted Dila Ltd on Frederick Terrace, Dalston just after 12pm. The premises were visited after intelligence gathered by the Agency’s Communications House based enforcement team led officers to believe illegal workers were being employed in the factory.
At the premises, officers discovered 35 individuals working at sewing machines, attaching buttons and cutting patterns.
After questioning the workers and checking their identity documents, officers arrested twelve women and two men from China, Turkey and Vietnam.
All were taken into custody for further enquiries to take place. Steps will now be taken to remove them from the UK.
Mabs Uddin, a UK Border Agency Inspector, said:
“These arrests show our commitment to operations targeting businesses which employ illegal workers. It is a crime that not only undercuts local business, but also has a serious impact on local communities;
“We will act on any information received and if appropriate visit the place concerned to make arrests. We will not tolerate illegal working in East London.”
The workers were employed by Dila Ltd. who made clothes which were sold under the high street retailer Jane Norman’s brand. However, there is no suggestion Jane Norman were involved in the employment of these individuals.
The business was issued with a notice of potential liability in respect of the illegal workers and now faces a fine of up to £140,000 for the workers employed. To avoid the fine, the company must convince the UK Border Agency that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out.
Civil penalties for business owners who fail to carry out the proper checks when employing migrant workers from outside Europe were introduced by the Government on February 29 2008.
Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to ensure they don’t employ illegal workers can visit http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/
Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are working illegally at a business in London should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be assured.
A tough, Australian-style points based system for managing immigration was recently introduced, ensuring that only those with the skills required by the UK are allowed to work here.
Fingerprint visas are being rolled out across the globe to prevent people coming to the UK on a false identity whilst ID cards for foreign nationals have recently been introduced.
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For further information, please contact Tim Matthews on 020 7035 3535.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Arrests are carried out by trained immigration officers who carry out operations at businesses and private addresses, acting on intelligence received from the public and other sources. All intelligence is protected.
2. The UK Border Agency was lauched on 3 April 2008 by the Home Office, establishing a single force to protect our borders, control migration for the benefit of the country, prevent border tax fraud, smuggling and immigration crime and make quick and fair decisions on asylum claims.
3. A list of employers who so far have received a civil penalty fine for employing illegal migrant workers is available on the UK Border Agency website on the following page;
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/
4. The team that carried out this visit also feature in the new Sky One Series Border Force which is broadcast every Monday at 9pm.
