Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- British authorities have arrested 33 illegal Bangladeshi workers in several enforcement operations on businesses across England and North Wales in the last eight weeks.
The men, including a number of students, had committed immigration offences including entering the United Kingdom (UK) illegally, overstaying their visas and working illegally, a British High Commission press statement on Wednesday.
The UK Border Agency has been working to remove all 33 men, 31 of whom were detained pending their removal.
The illegal workers were arrested in enforcement operations by UK Border Agency and police officers in Middlesex, Gloucestershire, Dorset, Worcester, Wales, Merseyside and Cornwall. The men were working illegally in restaurants and takeaways, the statement added.
“We will not tolerate illegal working, which undercuts wages and can exploit vulnerable workers. Foreign nationals who overstay their visas or otherwise abuse the UK’s immigration rules should be in no doubt that they will be found, arrested and removed from the UK.
“Employers who think they can undercut competitors by employing illegal workers are warned that they face heavy fines and possible prosecution,” a UK Border Agency spokesperson said.
The statement also said these operations are part of sustained enforcement action by the UK Border Agency against illegal working. Businesses face fines up to £10,000 for each illegal worker, unless they can prove that they carried out the correct pre-employment checks.
BBN/SSR/AD-04July12-4:02 pm (BST)
