Home Office accused of carrying out thousands of anti-immigration raids in ‘campaign of terror’

New figures have sparked alarm over the scale and tactics of the Home Office’s immigration crackdown, with campaigners accusing officers of intimidating migrant communities with over 23,500 raids, often without a warrant

Activism / 10 November 2026 Walkouts planned at more than 200 schools, colleges and universities on November 20 for youth strike 10 November 2026 Industrial / 10 November 2026 Health visitors claim victory after long-running strike wins pay rises 10 November 2026 Justice System / 10 November 2026 Labour deputy leader criticises Brand’s defence inquisition of victims 10 November 2026 Britain / 10 November 2026 Former Reform UK candidate behind Oxford ‘race science’ event exposed over antisemitic writings 10 November 2026 Britain / 10 November 2026 Commission set up in Wales to look at independence 10 November 2026 Wales / 10 November 2026 Culture war breaks out in Senedd as Reform accused of ‘being a one-trick pony’ 10 November 2026 THE Home Office carried out over 23,500 immigration raids, more than 60 a day, across Britain last year, in a “campaign of fear and terror.”

Freedom of Information requests by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) found that in 2025, there were 23,541 immigration raids conducted by the Home Office’s Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (Ice) teams — which operate under the Immigration Enforcement agency.

About 79 per cent of these did not have a warrant as legally required in order to make an arrest, enter a premises, or search for evidence of documentation.

Ice officers most commonly used “informed consent” as the legal power for the raids, in which an agent obtains verbal approval.

But campaigners have pointed out that officers wear uniforms that are similar to those of police forces, warning it becomes “intimidating,” with many people not knowing they have the right to refuse entry without a warrant or other legal basis.

Some 2,082 of the raids saw officers using the Licensing Act to enter premises, which applied to businesses that sell alcohol or late night food and drink.

Out of all the raids last year, people’s homes were targeted 36 per cent of the time, with restaurants, takeaways and cafes 15 per cent, transport networks — including delivery driver stops — 13 per cent and food, drink and tobacco shops at 11 per cent.

And four raids took place at sites categorised as education.

Only 4,432 people were detained out of the 36,535 people that Ice officers made contact with, a total of 12 per cent, leading to campaigners calling the raids “oppressive fishing expeditions.”

JCWI spokesman Griff Ferris said that the data shows that “British Ice, just like US Ice, are conducting a similar campaign of fear and terror against migrant communities, targeting them with racist suspicion and profiling and invading their homes and workplaces.”

He said: “Immigration Enforcement could be described as a rogue agency, if they weren’t operating exactly as the state intends, as they have been given these powers and resources to conduct a campaign of terror against migrant communities.

“This intention to spread fear amongst these communities is clear in the fact that most people raided, almost 90 per cent, aren’t actually detained.

“But local people and local authorities all around the country are rejecting this racism and authoritarianism and showing solidarity with each other against these raids.”

Mr Ferris said the JCWI was “proud to be building a movement to keep people safe from these raids, and we will continue to work with councils and councillors to do this.”

“Together we can resist these divisive, racist raids and build communities of safety and hope,” he added.

Local people across the country have organised through the Anti-Raids Network to respond to raids, such as by sharing legal rights in different languages, running events in their neighbourhoods to inform communities, organising in workplaces, filming and questioning officers during raids, gathering outside raids and physically stopping arrest vans.

Last week, it was reported that the Home Office is preparing to deploy facial recognition technology in public places for “general immigration enforcement,” including non-criminal immigration offences.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Every Immigration Enforcement visit is based on robust intelligence and risk assessments, compliant with policy.

“Since the general election, we have increased Immigration Enforcement action to the highest level in British history. This has delivered a 122% rise in illegal working arrests and a 111% rise in raids.”

United States / 9 October 2026 Ice shooting of New York man in car with five-year-old sparks protests 9 October 2026 United States / 18 August 2026 US labour and civil rights groups turn up the heat on Ice repression 18 August 2026 Trade unions and community groups are mobilising to push back against Trump’s racist raids after new revelations of spying on legal protesters. MARK GRUENBERG reports from the US state of Minnesota