Exclusive: Almost two-thirds of visits lead to no arrests and nearly three-quarters are conducted without a warrant
Shabana Mahmood’s ICE-style raid agency has been accused of engaging in “fishing expeditions” after figures disclosed that almost two-thirds of enforcement visits result in no arrests and nearly three-quarters are conducted without a warrant.
The home secretary has hailed the expanded use of immigration enforcement teams, and claimed they will help to secure the UK’s borders by removing a key incentive for irregular migration.
There were 23,538 immigration enforcement engagements such as workplace raids, home raids and spot checks in 2025 – or 60 a day. Of these, 15,578, or 66.1%, resulted in no arrests.
Only 25.81% of visits where a premises was accessed used a warrant. Critics say this suggests the Home Office is launching “fishing expeditions” based on weak intelligence.
Nearly nine out of ten (89%) of leads alleging “immigration crime” in 2025 came from the public or from Crimestoppers, a charity that collects anonymous tip-offs. Around 2% came from the police.
The Home Office vigorously disputed claims that the agency launches “fishing expeditions,” claiming that intelligence is thoroughly examined before launching an immigration raid.