Ten arrests made in Ilford “illegal” workers crackdown

Edwina Ellington, Reporter Tuesday, June 28, 2011
10:14 AM

Ten people have been arrested for immigration offences in Ilford as part of a multi agency operation on “illegal” workers.

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The Recorder reported two weeks ago that the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and Redbridge’s police force would be questioning groups of people who convene outside the gurdwara in High Road, Ilford, daily.

But chief executive of east London refugee and migrant forum Rita Chadha has blasted the approach as “inappropriate”.

“I think more could have been done to support those individuals.

“It’s a totally flawed system anyway, because many of them will go straight back on the streets. The best way to engage with these groups is to try and engage with them as human beings,” she added.

After the swoop, it emerged many of the men, some of who are homeless, had “no recourse to public funds”, which is often a condition for those allowed to stay in the UK, meaning they cannot claim benefits.

A border agency spokesman said: “All ten were Indian nationals. They were granted immigration bail and will have to report to UKBA while we work to secure travel documents for them.”

The ten have been granted immigration bail while the UKBA arrange travel documents for them to eventually be repatriated.

The issue was put in the spotlight after the trial of Jaswinder Singh, who murdered a fellow homeless man near Buckingham Road Cemetery, Ilford, in September last year in a revenge attack.