Ruby Palace on Belmore Street, Enniskillen
Two men have been arrested in Enniskillen following an illegal working operation by a Home Office immigration enforcement team.
Acting on intelligence, officers visited Ruby Palace Chinese Restaurant on Belmore Street, on Thursday (6 August) at 6pm and carried out immigration checks on staff.
Two Chinese men, aged 35 and 39, who were found working in the kitchen, were arrested when it was found that they were in the country illegally.
Both men are currently in Home Office detention while steps are taken to remove them from the country.
Ruby Palace was served with a notice warning that a civil penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker will be imposed unless proof is provided that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or official Home Office document. This is a potential total of up to £40,000.
Deputy Director Mike Golden, from the Home Office’s Northern Ireland Immigration Enforcement Team, said:
“These arrests are a clear warning to those in Northern Ireland abusing our immigration laws. There will be no slowdown in our efforts to arrest, detain and remove offenders from the UK.
“Employers who use illegal labour are defrauding the taxpayer, undercutting genuine employers and denying legitimate job hunters work.
“Information from the public can be a huge help in our work and I would urge those with information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch.”
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