Moment police raid Christmas market and arrest 11 ‘unlawful migrant employees’ from India, Iraq and China
Eleven suspected illegal migrant workers have been arrested during a raid on a Surrey Christmas market.
Nine men of Indian, Iraqi and Chinese nationality were detained at Kempton Park Market on Thursday, December 11.
A further two men of Indian nationality were arrested at a nearby residential address.
They were caught during a joint operation – with Officers from the Home Office‘s Immigration Enforcement team, Surrey Police and the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, who were acting on intelligence of illegal working.
Five of those now face being deported after they were detained.
The other six were released on immigration bail and must now report regularly to the Home Office.
This year there has been a 63 per cent increase in illegal working arrests.
Video footage showed the officers swooping in and arresting the individuals at the busy Christmas market in Sunbury-on-Thames.
One by one, various individuals were arrested, searched and photographed by the officers.
A man is searched by enforcement officers after being arrested on suspicion of illegal working at a Surrey Christmas market
A man is arrested and taken away by officers at the market on December 11
Another man is whisked away by enforcement officers in handcuffs on suspicion of illegal working
Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris said: ‘Illegal working undercuts honest workers and undermines our immigration rules. We won’t stand for it.
‘That’s why we are ripping away this pull factor through record levels of enforcement action right across Britain.
‘This work plays a major part in our sweeping reforms to the immigration system – making it less attractive for illegal migrants to come to the UK and easier to remove those with no right to be here.’
Home Office Immigration Enforcement Inspector Sam Malhotra said: ‘I hope this sends a clear message that there is no hiding place from the immigration rules.
‘We are working around the clock to identify this criminality wherever it is taking place and those found working illegally will be arrested, detained and removed wherever possible.
‘This activity is ramping up right across the UK with enforcement levels at their highest rate in British history.’
Latest figures show that more than 8,000 illegal migrants have been arrested following 11,000 raids between October 2024 and September 2025.
Spelthorne Borough Commander Inspector Matt Walton said: ‘We will always look to protect vulnerable people exploited by criminals, but where people are deliberately trying to work outside of the law, we will join with partners to take enforcement action.
A total of nine men, of Indian, Iraqi and Chinese nationality were arrested at the site
One enforcement officer watched on from a vantage point while the others detained the suspects
‘By working alongside partner agencies on specific operations, we can effectively tackle these types of offences, while also looking for wider criminality.’
The drive comes as ministers crack down on illegal working in the UK, as part of efforts to deter those coming to the country illegally.
Ms Mahmood set out a raft of reforms to the asylum system last month, aimed at making the UK less attractive for illegal migration and making it easier to deport people.
Earlier this month 60 delivery riders were detained for removal after they were found to be working in Britain illegally.
Those arrested included Chinese nationals working in a restaurant in Solihull, West Midlands, Bangladeshi and Indian riders in Newham, east London, and Indian delivery riders in Norwich, Norfolk.
The action also comes as the Government’s new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law on Tuesday, which includes measures to close a ‘loophole’ for casual, temporary or subcontracted workers to also have to prove their status.
Employers who fail to carry out checks could face up to five years in prison, fines of £60,000 for each illegal worker they have employed, and having their business closed.
In October, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood launched a consultation on plans to force food delivery apps to carry out stricter checks on their riders’ right to work in the UK.
Large numbers of newly arrived migrants have been found to be working for takeaways companies – flouting a ban on paid employment for asylum seekers.
Police took photographs and searched the suspects and five now face deportation
Under existing laws, right-to-work checks to verify someone is eligible to work in the UK are needed only for companies with traditional employer to employee contracts.
Under the plans, gig economy apps could face up to five years in prison or fines of £60,000 if they are found to be employing an illegal worker after failing to carry out checks.
The consultation will seek views from businesses on current recruitment procedures and aims to inform the new legislation.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in September he has plans to introduce digital ID.
The cards are expected to be required for ‘right to work’ checks by the end of this Parliament in 2029.
Critics have called his plan, first touted and then dropped by Sir Tony Blair when he was in office, a ‘cynical ploy’ designed to ‘fool’ voters into thinking something is being done about immigration.
MPs from Reform, the Tories and the Lib Dems are also opposed to the plans.
