Britain Wrestles With Illegal Immigrants, Levies Record Fines

Government Crackdown: The U.S. isn’t the only nation wrestling with a border-control problem. In Great Britain, the London government is imposing tougher fines and penalties on companies found to be knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.  According to The Herald newspaper, nearly 140 employers have been prosecuted thus far since a new law took effect in February—10 times the number of companies caught in all of 2007. Fines totaling £500,000, or about $975,000, have been imposed thus far, while government officials continue to work other cases as well. Under the heightened restrictions, companies can be fined nearly £10,000 ($19,500) for each undocumented worker. The newspaper reports that hundreds of thousands of people are believed to be staying illegally throughout Great Britain.