Immigration officers today swooped on a Telford business and detained nearly
40 people in a crackdown on illegal workers.
Immigration officers and police are seen at Epson in Telford
after this morning’s action against suspected illegals.
And homes across the
borough were being raided this afternoon in a bid to round up the remaining
suspects, believed to be working illegally at ink cartridge manufacturer Epson.
Home Office officers were searching for 22 people who they believe have been
working illegally in the UK at the firm’s base in Hortonwood.
Thirty-seven people from Ghana, Afghanistan, India and Zimbabwe have already
been screened, questioned and served with removal directions as part of an early
morning raid at the factory.
They were rounded up as they came off the nightshift at 4am.
Under Operation Geomancy, they will now be flown out of the country within
the next two weeks.
They gained forged passports and paperwork from an agency which smuggles
people from the Third World to developed countries for up to £20,000.
Unit manager at Epson Ray Prior said the company was contacted several months
ago by the Home Office had been working with them on this project since then.