Two men have been arrested following a UK Border Agency raid on a restaurant in Petworth.
Acting on intelligence, officers went to the Mystique Masala in East Street where they questioned staff to check if they had the right to work in the UK.
Two Nepalese men, aged 22 and 24, were arrested.
“Both were in the country illegally having over-stayed their visas, and were detained pending their removal from the UK,” said assistant director Tim Reichardt from the UK Border Agency’s Sussex local immigration team.
The restaurant could now face a fine of up to £20,000 - £10,000 for each illegal worker - unless proof is provided to the UK Border Agency that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out on the men.
“Where we find someone who is in the UK illegally we will seek to remove them,” said Mr Reichardt.
“But it is employers who take on illegal workers who fuel illegal immigration to the UK and that is why our officers are carrying out these kinds of operations.
“Businesses who fail to carry out the legally-required checks on staff should know that we are out there looking for them and they will face heavy fines.”
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