UK Border Agency fines 50 illegal workers across Cheshire in 2009

Jan 21 2010 by Mark Dowling, Chester Chronicle

THE UK Border Agency issued a total of more than £438,000 in fines to 50 illegal workers and their employers across Cheshire in 2009.

Immigration officers have also been busy removing illegal asylum seekers from the country, and Gus MacDonald, HM Inspector for the North West area – Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cumbria.

He said: “The aim is to protect the UK from illegal working while protecting the free movement of people in and out of the country. There is a problem of illegal workers but out of two million people involved in immigration each year, the numbers are a very small minority.

“And we have to ensure those involved in free movement to and from the UK can do so without too much disruption.

“Our main work in Cheshire is of illegal working, and to detect and detain asylum seekers.

“Figures to date are up on last year, which was also our most successful, and we will beat our targets. We look to improve year on year.”

Mr Macdonald also detailed the groups the service works in partnership with to help tackle immigrant crimes.

“We work with Cheshire Police – they are our main partnership workers. Their aim is to target immigration crime and the people involved in facilitating the crime. They will deal with them.

“The Cheshire branch of our service was launched about three months ago, working with Cheshire West and Chester Council. The council gives us information, and we give them information.

“It’s the same with the fire brigade. They help us find places with illegal workers when they search premises for things such as poor fire alarms.

“We also have help from members of the public from Crimestoppers or the police, and government agencies.

“With all this information we can build an intelligence package and we usually go to their places armed with search warrants.

“We are authorised to search premises for identification and evidence of crime, such as forged documents and people forced to work against their will.”

And businesses who hire illegal immigrants to work for them should expect to face time in prison.