Sixty-six delivery riders have been arrested in London this year amid a Home Office crackdown on illegal workers and employers who “turn a blind eye”.
Campaigners and unions say riders are at risk of modern slavery, are “frequent targets” for authorities “regardless of their immigration status” and subject to racial profiling.
But an immigration lawyer says illegal working is a specific problem within the “unregulated” gig economy and targeted raids are warranted.
Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat have all insisted they run necessary checks to make sure all workers have the right to work in the UK.
But Home Office figures obtained by the Standard under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that 66 riders were arrested for immigration offences in the capital between January and July 2023. Of those arrested, 10 have been deported.
The alleged immigration offences include overstayers, illegal entrants - either arriving in the UK illegally or entering via deception - and those working in breach of their visa conditions, for example, students.
Enforcement visits have ramped up this year. The Home Office said it has arrested more people in 2023 than during the whole of 2022.
The Home Office has carried out more than 3,200 enforcement visits for illegal workers this year, 3,959 people have been arrested and almost 1,000 detained within two days following an arrest.
A spokesperson for the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said “it’s no accident that these stops are public and targeted at ethnic minority workers”.
BAME Officer for the Couriers Branch of IWGB, Larbi Neron, told the Standard: “The Home Office is carrying out these raids purely to victimise migrant workers and to create division amongst working people.
“We have seen this happen a lot more frequently under the guise of vehicle stops for insurance checks under the Road Traffic Act.
“From our experience these stops are almost exclusively aimed at the black, brown, and migrant workers who make up the vast majority of the workforce, regardless of their immigration status.
“Many delivery workers feel intimidated by the police, whether due to language barriers, poor knowledge of legal rights, or previous bad experiences.
“We’ve heard of multiple cases where police have taken advantage of this fear, with officers reportedly asking for information they have no right to. As a union we aim to make sure all our members know their legal rights and have the correct support when they are unfairly targeted due to racial profiling.”
Immigration law partner at London solicitors Freeths, Emma Brooksbank, said food delivery apps “turn a blind eye” to illegal workers and are also inadvertently “duped” with illegal documentation.
“This is a specific problem…which is located within the gig economy,” she told the Standard.
“I think it’s reasonable for the Home Office, whether it’s enforcement officers or the police, to take action against criminal offences.”
She added: “I think that if targeting is done on the basis of racial profiling, then that is of course completely unacceptable.
“But for a sector which does have a risk of immigration offenders engaging in it because of the lack of regulation and controls and adequate processes within the sector, my view is that it is reasonable for the Home Office to look at that closely.”
Anti-Slavery International said migrants, who make up a significant proportion of delivery workers, are at a high risk of exploitation and the most serious cases can amount to modern slavery.
Cristina Patriarca, Safe Migration Officer, told the Standard: “The very nature of app-based management means a lack of direct relationship between the worker and the “employer”, which can result in long working hours, and low payments where people may end up earning below minimum wage.
“Coupled with a lack of sector regulation, high number of workers, and algorithm-controlled targets, the result is that people might be less likely to complain about labour violations. We remain very concerned about the lack of regulation in these industries where we have already seen labour exploitation and abuses taking place.”
A Deliveroo spokesperson said the company takes “a zero tolerance approach towards any rider who fails to meet their legal obligations when working with us”.
Deliveroo CEO Will Shu told the Standard: “The reality is we support any efforts to tackle this.
“We do have the tech in place...you apply for an account online, we also have facial recognition, you have to enter that on the app. This is an area we’ve been developing over time.”
An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “All couriers who use the Uber Eats app are required to pass a criminal background check, be over the age of 18 and hold a valid right to work in the UK, and we run checks to ensure account holders have the correct documents. Any courier that fails to meet these criteria will have their access to the app removed.”
A Just Eats spokesperson said: “We have high standards and a robust criteria in place for couriers delivering on behalf of Just Eat...if we find that our high expectations are not met, we will investigate and immediately take action, including removing couriers from our network.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Illegal working, including in the gig economy, causes untold harm to our communities, cheating honest workers out of employment, putting vulnerable people at risk, and defrauding the public purse.
“All immigration enforcement activity is intelligence-led and to suggest otherwise is wrong.”
