Another six people have been arrested by the UK Border Agency on charges of immigration offences in UK. These illegal migrants were discovered in the end of November during a raid on two restaurants in Berkshire. These raids are a part of a crackdown being conducted to nab immigration crime in UK.
Initially, the Mikado restaurant situated in Sunning hill, Ascot was paid a visit to by the officials from the UK Border Agency. Here, two people were caught for living illegally in the nation. They had overstayed their visas. Of these, one was found to be a failed asylum seeker and had no right to be employed in the country.
Another raid was also carried on Asian Fusion in Littlewick Green. Here, a man from Bangladesh was found to have overstayed his visa. With him, there were two more people from the staff who were also working illegally in the nation.
All these six illegal migrants would now be subject to deportation. At the same time, their employers would have to pay fines as high as £30,000. Otherwise, they have to provide with evidence which proves them to have conducted the legal checks for the immigrant staff regarding to immigration status or the visa.
According to the Assistant Director of the UKBA Berkshire Local Immigration team, Rob Allen, these raids send a tough message to all the businesses when it comes to employing illegal migrants. He also said that the fines for these employers could be as high as £10,000 for each illegal migrant employed. However, if the employers are found to hiring such migrants purposely, they would be subject to a criminal prosecution. He stated that more raids are being planned.
According to Damian Green, the UK Immigration Minister, these raids are vital as these illegal migrants are big burden over the national economy. Illegal migration tends to press on the public funds especially during a time when the nation is not exactly in a position to afford it. Along with the police and the Serious Crime Agency, the government intends to make it difficult for such people to continue to reside in the nation.
