Footage emerges of the moment immigration officers are confronted by a crowd as they make two arrests in Peckham
The Home Office has said officers visited two businesses in Rye Lane, Peckham, on 13 May as part of an operation to target illegal working
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Video footage has emerged which appears to show the moment immigration officers were confronted by a crowd of people during an operation to target alleged illegal workers in Peckham.
Home Office immigration enforcement officers can be seen in the video, which has been posted online, to be surrounded by a group of people as they make two arrests in the London district.
The crowd appear to confront the officers before cheering as they drive away in a van.
The Home Office has said officers visited two businesses in Rye Lane, Peckham, on 13 May as part of an operation to target illegal working.
It said three men of Pakistani origin were found at a butchers to be working in breach of their conditions of stay in the UK and arrested.
The men have been released and ordered to report to the Home Office while their cases progress. No arrests were made at the second business.
The Home Office has confirmed that officers were confronted by members of the public during the operation.
It said officers were subjected to some verbal abuse, but nobody was injured.
A spokesman said: "These arrests send a clear message to those who believe they can abuse the UK’s immigration laws. Anyone who is found to be here illegally will face removal from the country.
"We would urge anyone with detailed and specific information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch."