Cracking down on criminal gangs
Today the government announced tougher fines for those who help the criminal gangs and people smugglers who putting lives at risk sending people over the English Channel in dangerous and inadequate boats and sabotaging any attempt to create and operate a fair and effective immigration and asylum policy.
This will include tougher penalties for breaking employment laws. This will help to deter abuse of our laws and deliver on the Conservative promise to stop the boats.
- Illegal working undercuts honest employers, puts vulnerable people at risk of exploitation, cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment and defrauds the public purse.
- So we will make it harder for illegal migrants to work and operate in the UK, tripling fines for employers and landlords who allow illegal migrants to work for them or rent their properties. This will see the civil penalty for employers increase from £15,000 to £45,000 per illegal worker for a first breach.
- Increasing these fines will prevent employers and landlords from engaging in these illegal practices and ultimately deter people from attempting to come to the UK illegally, helping deliver on our promise to stop the boats.
This builds on yesterday's announcement of a new partnership with social media companies to clamp down on people smuggling gangs, tackling the business model that fuels illegal crossings in order to stop the boats.
- Criminal gangs are promoting their shameful services on social media and charging people thousands of pounds to make the illegal journey into the UK.
- That is why we are strengthening collaboration between the National Crime Agency, government, and social media companies to clamp down on tactics being used by criminal gangs to lure people into paying for crossings, delivering on our promise to stop the boats.
- We are redoubling our efforts to shut down people smuggling gangs – making it clear if you come to Britain illegally, you will be removed.
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