Ten Indian nationals held in border agency swoop on factory in Leicester
Ten Indian nationals suspected of working illegally in the UK were arrested in a UK Border Agency raid yesterday morning.
The workers were detained in a factory near Leicester city centre during an operation which involved about 60 border agency officials and police officers.
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The raid at Colours Dyers and Finishers in Aylestone, Leicester (3)
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Detained: A man is led away after yesterday's morning's raid
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The raid at Colours Dyers and Finishers in Aylestone, Leicester (2)
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The raid at Colours Dyers and Finishers in Aylestone, Leicester (4)
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The raid at Colours Dyers and Finishers in Aylestone, Leicester (5)
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The raid at Colours Dyers and Finishers in Aylestone, Leicester (6)
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The raid at Colours Dyers and Finishers in Aylestone, Leicester (7)
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The raid at Colours Dyers and Finishers in Aylestone, Leicester (8)
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The raid at Colours Dyers and Finishers in Aylestone, Leicester (9)
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The raid at Colours Dyers and Finishers in Aylestone, Leicester (1)
The border agency (UKBA), which planned and led the operation, invited the Leicester Mercury to accompany its officers on the raid of Colours Dyers and Finishers.
All entrances to the building, in Greenhithe Road, off Aylestone Road, were sealed off by police officers shortly before 10am.
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Border agency officials entered the building and interviewed workers one by one.
At the end of the four-hour operation, 10 members of staff were detained by the agency. Their right to be in the UK at all is being checked. Those found to be in the UK illegally face deportation.
The firm faces a fine of £100,000 – or £10,000 for each worker – unless it can convince the agency it had made every effort to check the employees' immigration status.
Ramesh Patel, one of the firm's managers, said it passed all the documentation it had on its employees to border agency investigators.
Mr Patel said the firm had carried out background checks on all its employees and had believed they were entitled to work.
"As far as we were concerned, all of these people had the right to work in the UK," he said.
"We had carried out the checks required by law. Whatever documentation and evidence we have, we have passed to the border agency and the police and are co-operating fully with them."
UK Border Agency officer Teresa Gregory said: "Whatever the size of the business, when we have information to suggest a business is employing illegal workers we will take action. The resources are available.
"Offenders should know there is no hiding place, and that where we find people who are in the UK illegally we will seek to remove them.
"I urge members of the public with information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch.
"We are happy to work with businesses and advise what checks need to be carried out on staff. However, those who break the law should expect a visit from our officers and to pay a heavy penalty."
Chief Inspector Martyn Ball, of Leicestershire Police, said: "It's important we work with our partners to tackle issues, such as illegal working, and that's why we were keen to support UKBA in this operation. I hope residents and visitors in Leicester feel reassured by the action taken today and by the fact that we proactively work with our partners to ensure those issues affecting our communities are tackled."
Anyone who has information on suspected immigration offenders can report it by searching for "report a crime'' at:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk
24 Comments
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by LaPetomane
Saturday, March 23 2013, 9:32AM
“Truthtooth is correct, they are lawless because they are living and working in society outside the law. They don't exist here officially yet they are working for small money with no health and safety laws, driving vehicles uninsured, living in overcrowded accomodation all cash in hand to landlords and fromn employers. The employers and landlords contribute nothing to our economy, they are taking rent in cash and paying employees in cash. Many of these immigrants are unskilled and illiterate of English - and even those with degrees etc are not recognised here and end up as waiters, warehousing, picking vegetables etc. Of course they all want a good life here but the fact is many only dream of getting their whole families here and in the meantime send most money back home rather than spending it here.
I know they all want a better life, they are economic migrants all thinking the UK is a great country aand route to better their standard of living. The point is it does little for any of us and just puts money in the back pocket of corrupt employers and landlords. We are completely overwhelmed, I'd wager there are thousands of illegal immigrants just in Leicester, plus there are thousands who are here on legal visas - doing illegal things such as working when they shouldn't be, not being the students they say they are, committing crime, marrying and producing children so they can stay etc etc.
As much as the do gooders and those with a charitable heart say we should understand them, at the end of the day WE are those paying for it all and finding our own standards and finances eroded significantly as a result. Oh, and no, I am not a racist, I have nothing against anyone because of their colour, religion etc, just that the immigration issue is completely out of hand and we cannot afford it. It brings questionable benefit to most of us taxpayers.”
by LaPetomane
Saturday, March 23 2013, 9:32AM
“Truthtooth is correct, they are lawless because they are living and working in society outside the law. They don't exist here officially yet they are working for small money with no health and safety laws, driving vehicles uninsured, living in overcrowded accomodation all cash in hand to landlords and fromn employers. The employers and landlords contribute nothing to our economy, they are taking rent in cash and paying employees in cash. Many of these immigrants are unskilled and illiterate of English - and even those with degrees etc are not recognised here and end up as waiters, warehousing, picking vegetables etc. Of course they all want a good life here but the fact is many only dream of getting their whole families here and in the meantime send most money back home rather than spending it here.
I know they all want a better life, they are economic migrants all thinking the UK is a great country aand route to better their standard of living. The point is it does little for any of us and just puts money in the back pocket of corrupt employers and landlords. We are completely overwhelmed, I'd wager there are thousands of illegal immigrants just in Leicester, plus there are thousands who are here on legal visas - doing illegal things such as working when they shouldn't be, not being the students they say they are, committing crime, marrying and producing children so they can stay etc etc.
As much as the do gooders and those with a charitable heart say we should understand them, at the end of the day WE are those paying for it all and finding our own standards and finances eroded significantly as a result. Oh, and no, I am not a racist, I have nothing against anyone because of their colour, religion etc, just that the immigration issue is completely out of hand and we cannot afford it. It brings questionable benefit to most of us taxpayers.”
by truthtooth
Saturday, March 23 2013, 7:58AM
“illegal imigrants have brought all the wage rates down to their knees . at home these people are penniless so £3 a hour is fantastic money to them , it HAS to be , it is £3 a hour theyve never earnt before . they have ruined the driving industry with them not stickng to regulations i have to and if caught theyre off . they are the route to poor wages which has an effect on everyone . they are a scurge on our society . they are also obviously lawless .”
by anobserver
Saturday, March 23 2013, 3:16AM
“@hashrai...looks like all those people you mention actualy failed in your education.A"boarder"is one who recieves food and lodging.If you believe itwaswrong for them to be there...why are you here ?”
by johnboy313
Friday, March 22 2013, 11:36PM
“hasrai if your so protective of them, then pay for them.”
by suze49
Friday, March 22 2013, 8:57PM
“Sorry...meant 'Employers'”
by suze49
Friday, March 22 2013, 8:56PM
“Ive been watching 'Border force' for a while recently and its rare that the employees even get fined the maximum £10,000 anyway!! little wonder that its still going on! Its a farce.
These immigrants know how to work the system.... if they wont produce a passport, they cant be sent back, and the detention centres are full.. apparently. The money spent on keeping these people in this Country would be better spent building more detention centres.....I bet it wouldnt be too long before they regained their memories and remembered where their passports were, faced with the prospect of being kept detained for the fore-seeable...”
by gtnewparks
Friday, March 22 2013, 7:38PM
“how many more are in leicester”
by 4_Stroke
Friday, March 22 2013, 7:36PM
“Let's see a follow up by the LM on whether they actually leave the country or work the immigration system as long as possible at the taxpayers' expense.”
by hashrai
Friday, March 22 2013, 5:59PM
“Sorry - But we live in a Global Village! A hungry man will walk miles to feed his Children.
Even though you all are shouting aloud, you would not want do the jobs these men were doing. Why? Because we feel these kind of jobs are for the migrants as we are too good to step down to this level. I sincerely wait and hope to read such comments when the Boarders open up in January 2014 for the Bulgarians and Romanians. When I was growing up in Kenya all my Teachers and the Church Priests and the nuns were from the UK. I could surely not refer to these highly educated people as Illegal migrants. I suppose these very people should have stopped in the UK.”