Key facts
- Freedom of information figures showed 23,538 immigration enforcement engagements in 2025, or 60 a day, with 15,578, or 66.1%, resulting in no arrests.
- Only 25.81% of visits where a premises was accessed used a warrant, according to the disclosures.
- 89% of leads alleging immigration crime in 2025 came from the public or Crimestoppers, with around 2% from the police.
- The Home Office disputed claims of fishing expeditions, saying intelligence is thoroughly examined before a raid.
- Sultanz owner Samsu Ali said officers entered without a warrant and that his restaurant was later cleared of immigration breaches.
Almost two-thirds of UK immigration enforcement visits in 2025 resulted in no arrests, according to freedom of information figures reported by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Guardian. Of 23,538 engagements such as workplace raids, home raids and spot checks, 15,578, or 66.1%, led to no arrest, the figures showed.
The disclosures prompted critics to accuse the agency overseen by home secretary Shabana Mahmood of conducting fishing expeditions based on weak intelligence. Only 25.81% of visits where a premises was accessed used a warrant, and 89% of leads alleging immigration crime in 2025 came from the public or the charity Crimestoppers, with around 2% from the police.
The Home Office disputed the characterization, saying intelligence is thoroughly examined before a raid. Mahmood has hailed the expanded use of enforcement teams, saying they help secure the UK's borders by removing an incentive for irregular migration. Raids have targeted nail bars, car washes, barbers, takeaways, construction sites and warehouses, as well as people's homes, and arrests have been publicized in TikTok videos.
Officers from immigration enforcement entered Sultanz, an Indian restaurant in Camborne, Cornwall, without a warrant last month, according to its owner, Samsu Ali. Nanu Mia, a Bangladeshi employee, was handcuffed and arrested, then de-arrested and released after his sister brought his ID card, Ali said. Ali said customer numbers have fallen since the raid despite the restaurant being cleared of immigration breaches.
Without a warrant, officers can enter licensed premises under section 179 of the Licensing Act 2003, or in most cases, more than 12,000 last year, ask for the consent of the tenant, manager or owner. Kevin Barker, a former immigration officer, said raids are often fishing expeditions based on tenuous tipoffs. Mothin Ali, deputy leader of the Green party, called the findings alarming and said Britain must not import Trump's ICE playbook.
The Home Office said in August that more than 17,000 arrests of people working illegally had been made since July 2024, a 122% increase on the previous two years, with a record number of raids and arrests in 2026.