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Article

28 Jul 2016

Author:
Lisa O'Carroll, Guardian (UK)

UK: Byron Hamburgers facilitates Home Office raid & arrest of workers suspected of immigration breaches

"Immigration raid on Byron Hamburgers rounds up 35 workers", 27 Jul 2016

Dozens of staff at the Byron Hamburgers chain of restaurants have been arrested in an immigration swoop, it has emerged.The Home Office has confirmed 35 nationals from Brazil, Nepal, Egypt and Albania were among those rounded up in the raid, which took place across London on the morning of 4 July. A senior worker in one of the branches alleged that staff had been told to attend a health and safety meeting at 9.30am that day but immigration officials quickly arrived and started to interview people...Byron confirmed it facilitated the raid at the Home Office’s request but refused to respond to claims that it set up staff meetings on the false pretence they were for health and safety training...It said: “We can confirm that several of Byron’s London restaurants were visited by representatives of the Home Office. These visits resulted in the removal of members of staff who are suspected by the Home Office of not having the right to work in the UK, and of possessing fraudulent personal and right to work documentation that is in breach of immigration and employment regulation.”...A Home Office spokesperson said: “Immigration enforcement officers carried out intelligence-led visits to a number of Byron restaurants across London on 4 July, arresting 35 people for immigration offences. The operation was carried out with the full co-operation of the business.”