UK immigration officers have arrested nine men after raiding four chip ships in Birmingham at the beginning of December. Each of the nine men are now being detained pending removal from the UK.
A total of three people were arrested during the first raid, which took place at Hartley’s Fish Chips and Pizzaria, with two having overstayed their UK visas and one having entered the UK illegally.
Two other Indian nationals were arrested in Brookvale Fish Bar after UK immigration officers discovered they had overstayed their UK visas. The bar also contained another Indian national currently being processed by immigration but lacking the right to work.
At Kingsbury Fish Bar, three further Indian nationals were arrested after it was revealed that they had overstayed their UK visas, while a third was found to have entered Britain illegally.
Finally, the UK immigration officials raided Warren Farm Fish Bar, where one person was arrested for entering Britain illegally and working without a UK visa.
As a result of the raids, each of the sites will now face a fine of up to £20,000 for each employee found to be working illegally. According to the Home Office, these will be applicable if the businesses fail to provide proof that each of their workers has undergone the correct right-to-work document checks.
Commenting on the raids, Carol Scarr, head of the West Midlands Immigration Enforcement team, said: “This was a very successful evening’s work for our teams. My officers cover the whole of the West Midlands and specialise in identifying abuse of the immigration rules, including businesses who employ staff with no right to work.”