UK PM Rishi Sunak joins raid on illegal migrants, 105 arrested
London (PTI): Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined the UK Home Office enforcement officials on a raid as part of a nationwide crackdown on illegal migration, which ended in the arrest of 105 foreign nationals from across 20 nationalities.
Sunak, 43, dressed in a bulletproof vest, attended one of the actions in Brent, north London, earlier this week to observe Immigration Enforcement officers at work as part of their "day of action".
The British Indian leader has made cracking down on illegal migration one of his government's top priorities ahead of a general election, expected next year.
"Illegal working harms our communities, cheats honest workers out of employment and defrauds the public purse as no taxes are paid," said UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
"As the Prime Minister has set out, we are committed to tackling the abuse of our laws and borders. We know the prospect of black-market employment is a significant attraction for migrants considering making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK. Operations such as today send a clear message that we will not stand for this," she said.
During the operation, which took place across the UK on Thursday, Immigration Enforcement officers arrested 105 foreign nationals found working without the right to do so during 159 raids on suspected illegal work establishments.
The arrests took place at commercial premises including restaurants, car washes, nail bars, barber shops and convenience stores. Suspects were arrested for offences including illegal working and possession of false documentation, with sums of cash also seized at some locations.
Of those arrested, over 40 were detained by the Home Office pending their removal from the UK, with the remaining suspects being released on immigration bail. It is also expected that a number of the arrests will result in a voluntary departure from the UK, the Home Office said.
"This result demonstrates the dedication and professionalism of our officers to take action against immigration offenders, as well as employers who are not complying with the rules. Our enforcement teams are working around the clock to deter immigration offending and help protect the public," said Eddy Montgomery, Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime at the Home Office.
"Working closely with partners and agencies including the police and the National Crime Agency (NCA), we are tackling illegal work at every level. It is vital that we not only identify individuals in breach of immigration law but target the people smuggling networks behind this type of criminal activity," he said.
While offenders of over 20 different nationalities were found to be working without proper visa rights to be in the UK, the countries involved have not been identified.
The Home Office said the operation builds on the ongoing work by Immigration Enforcement officers to clamp down on illegal working, which is a key part of the government's approach to stopping the boats crossing the English Channel illegally. The operation is aimed at tackling illegal migration by breaking the business model of criminal gangs who use the offer of black market jobs as one way to draw people to the UK illegally, officials added.
In the first quarter of 2023, Immigration Enforcement teams claim they delivered 1,303 enforcement visits, a 57 per cent increase on the same period last year. And, since Sunak set out his plan in December last year to "stop the boats" crossing illegally into the UK, arrests are said to have doubled compared to the same period last year.
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BJP accuses CM Siddaramaiah of 'misleading' public on govt job figures
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Wednesday lashed out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing him of "misleading" the public on government recruitment figures and "failing" to address the concerns of unemployed youth in the state.
In a detailed post on his X handle, Vijayendra alleged that the Congress-led government was attempting to deflect accountability by blaming the previous BJP administration instead of initiating concrete steps to fill vacant posts.
“Chief Minister, please refrain from misleading the people. Do not attempt to shift the blame for all your shortcomings onto the BJP and evade responsibility. Your administration has earned a reputation for arrogance, corruption and mismanagement,” Vijayendra said, adding that students and youth were not naïve enough to be swayed by what he termed as "exaggerated claims".
Vijayendra's response came following Siddaramaiah's statement on Tuesday blaming BJP for the huge backlog of government job vacancies.
The CM had said that when Congress assumed office in 2023, over 2.64 lakh government posts were vacant.
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The backlog resulted from prolonged inaction under the previous BJP government, which failed to initiate timely recruitment or create a structured roadmap, he said.
As thousands of government job aspirants staged a massive protests in Dharwad on Tuesday demanding filling the vacant posts immediately, Siddaramaiah accused BJP leaders of "misleading students for political gains" and said recruitment irregularities and alleged corruption between 2019 and 2023 had eroded trust in the system, leading to the current crisis.
Questioning the government’s public statements on employment generation, Vijayendra referred to figures tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
“According to the official figures presented by your own government in the Legislative Assembly, only 8,157 government recruitments have been completed during your three years in office. Yet publicly claiming that 40,000 posts have been filled raises serious concerns. Does this not amount to misleading the unemployed youth of the state?” the Shikaripura MLA asked.
The BJP leader also raised the issue of large-scale vacancies in government departments, claiming that lakhs of posts remained unfilled even after the Congress came to power.
According to him, the state was struggling financially and questioned the delay in initiating fresh recruitment drives despite what he described as legal clarity on proceeding under the existing reservation framework.
Vijayendra further criticised the government for prioritising the accommodation of party workers and disgruntled MLAs in state-run corporations with ministerial rank and perks, while unemployed youth continued to wait for job opportunities.
“At the very least, please stop making claims that do not align with facts. Youth unrest in the state is mounting. Before matters escalate further, act with sincerity — or consider stepping down and seeking the people’s forgiveness,” the BJP state chief said.
Noting that frustration among students and job aspirants was intensifying, Vijayendra urged the CM to immediately expedite pending recruitment processes and ensure transparency in appointments.
He warned that the government would be held accountable for any fallout arising out of growing youth discontent.
