Multitudes Detained During Illicit Bike Messenger Roundup
In a significant move, the UK Home Office has led a week-long enforcement campaign, Operation Equalize, targeting illegal working in the gig economy, particularly focusing on delivery riders. The operation, which took place from 20 to 27 July 2025, resulted in over 280 arrests of immigrants working illegally and the issuing of 51 civil penalty referral notices to businesses suspected of employing illegal workers.
The operation was supported by a government agreement with major food delivery platforms (Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat) to share information about asylum hotel locations, aiming to better target illegal workers. This crackdown was part of a broader effort to dismantle organised immigration crime at every level in communities across the UK.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, emphasized that illegal working undermines border security, and the government is intensifying enforcement efforts across the UK to uphold immigration and employment laws. The Minister stated that the government is taking a hard stance on illegal working, aiming to end the abuse of flexible working arrangements by making it a legal requirement for all companies to check that anyone working for them has the legal right to do so.
During Operation Equalize, Immigration Enforcement Officers stopped and questioned 1,780 individuals, with 280 arrests. Police forces across the UK supported the operation, seizing 71 vehicles including 58 e-bikes, £8,000 in cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act, and around £460,000 in illicit cigarettes.
Furthermore, as a result of Operation Equalize, 53 individuals are having their asylum support reviewed, which could lead to the suspension or withdrawal of their support. This operation also marks a step towards the UK's latest effort to dismantle the criminal trade in small boat crossings, with the UK-France treaty to target illegal crossings coming into force, allowing for immediate detention and return of those entering the UK on small boats.
The Home Office has confirmed a £5 million funding boost for Immigration Enforcement teams as part of a larger £100 million border security package. This additional funding is intended to enable more frequent revisits to illegal working hotspots and to enhance intelligence-gathering capabilities to support frontline enforcement. This funding boost will contribute to a major surge in enforcement visits over the coming months.
Since coming into power a year ago, the UK government has returned 35,000 people with no right to be in the UK, including failed asylum seekers, immigration and foreign national offenders. The government's efforts have also led to a reduction in the number of asylum hotels open, saving millions of taxpayers' money.
In addition to the arrests made as part of Operation Equalize, 51 businesses received Civil Penalty Referral Notices, potentially facing fines if found to have employed illegal workers without conducting relevant pre-employment checks. The Home Office's Immigration Enforcement teams launched a nationwide intensification week of activity targeting illegal working hotspots, with a focus on the gig economy and migrants working as delivery riders.
This operation, led by the Home Office, is part of a broader effort to tackle illegal working and strengthen border security across the UK.
- The nationwide intensification week of activity, led by the Home Office, targeting illegal working hotspots as part of Operation Equalize, also included a focus on policies and legislation related to crime and justice, with the issue of 51 Civil Penalty Referral Notices to businesses suspected of employing illegal workers.
- In its ongoing efforts to uphold immigration and employment laws, the UK government has intensified enforcement across various sectors, including politics, general news, and crime and justice, as evident in the crackdown on illegal working in the gig economy during Operation Equalize, targeting delivery riders.
