Home Office claims ‘record number’ of immigration enforcement checks in NI as beauty industry, delivery and warehousing sectors targeted

The UK Home Office says it has initiated a “major surge” in illegal immigration enforcement in Northern Ireland with nearly 50% as many visits carried out at businesses suspected of using illegal workers.More than 100 visits to businesses took place in the first six months of 2026, 43% more than in the previous six months.123 arrests have been made during the same time, as the Home Office says it is specifically targeting the beauty industry, delivery and warehousing sectors.The new figures come after a week-long, multi-agency operation targeting organised immigration crime across the UK in June, in which 269 immigration-related arrests were made.Delivery companies such as JustEat and Deliveroo are also likely to face a crackdown later this year, as from October, companies hiring gig econo