LONDON — The UK government has deported nearly 19,000 foreign criminals and immigration offenders since taking office, marking the highest rate of removals since 2018, the Home Office said Monday.
Between July 5, 2024, and January 31, 2025, enforced returns surged by 24%, while removals of foreign national offenders increased by 21%. Immigration raids targeting illegal workers also jumped by 38% compared to the same period a year earlier, officials said.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper credited the crackdown to a redeployment of 1,000 staff to immigration enforcement and a tougher stance against illegal migration.
“To rebuild public confidence in the immigration system, we need to show the rules are respected and enforced,” Cooper said in a statement. “That’s why we have put significant additional resources into immigration enforcement, ensuring those with no right to be here—particularly those who have committed crimes—are removed swiftly.”
The Home Office also confirmed that the UK has carried out its four largest-ever chartered deportation flights, returning more than 850 people to countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.
Officials released rare images of the removals process, offering a glimpse into the government’s efforts to curb illegal migration. The crackdown is part of the administration’s broader “Plan for Change,” aimed at dismantling smuggling networks, tightening border security, and restoring order to the asylum system.
“Tackling illegal working is also vital to this approach,” the Home Office said, revealing that 828 premises were raided in January—marking the highest number of such operations in six years.
As part of these raids, immigration officers also identified and referred victims of human trafficking and modern slavery to the National Referral Mechanism, the UK’s official framework for supporting trafficking victims.
The government is set to introduce new “counter-terror-style” powers to disrupt people smuggling operations, with legislation currently under debate in Parliament.
