At least 38 Indians, including nine women, have been detained by immigration officials in the United Kingdom for overstaying their visas or working illegally. They were detained in a raid conducted at two clothing factories in Leicester last week.
K Clothing Ltd and Fashion Times UK Ltd were raided by UK Home Office Immigration Enforcement. According to reports, 31 of the 38 Indians, who were detained along with an Afghan man, had overstayed their visas, while seven of them had entered the country illegally. One person breached UK's visa conditions, Press Trust of India reported citing Leicester Mercury.
The immigration officials detained 19 people pending their removal from the UK, while the remaining 20 people were instructed to report to the Home Office on a daily basis. Officers from the Leicestershire Police and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) accompanied the immigration officials during the raids.
"Using illegal labour is not victimless. It cheats the taxpayer, undercuts honest businesses and denies legitimate job seekers of employment opportunities," Assistant Director Alison Spowage of the East Midlands Immigration Enforcement was quoted as saying by PTI.
"The penalties for businesses that do not play by the rules are rightly severe. This operation, one of the largest-scale my team has conducted, sends a clear message that we have the resources to tackle immigration abuse. All of our operations are intelligence-led and I would encourage people with detailed and specific information about illegal immigration to contact us," Spowage added.
Both the clothing factories could face fines up to 20,000 pounds for each illegal worker employed by them if it is proven that they did not take necessary steps to determine the legal status of their employees. The money could amount to 240,000 pounds for MK Clothing Ltd and 180,000 pounds for Fashion Times UK Ltd.
The UK immigration rules require all employers to conduct detailed work checks on the employees they choose to hire. Employers can be levied hefty fines if it is found that they employed workers who do not have the right to work in Britain legally.
