Australian Border Force (ABF) officers have detained four high-priority unlawful non-citizens and issued strict departure conditions to a fifth during a major multi-agency operation across Far North Queensland targeting migrant worker exploitation, immigration non-compliance, and criminal syndicates profiting from illegal labour.
The six-day operation, conducted in Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands, and the Cassowary Coast, involved ABF officers alongside Queensland Police, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, and the Office of Industrial Relations. Joint agency teams carried out unannounced visits to private residences, remote farms, industrial worksites, and illegal tobacco outlets to locate offenders, safeguard exploited workers, and refer them to appropriate support services.
Among those detained was a suspected scam migration agent and his unlawful non-citizen partner in Innisfail, accused of charging vulnerable Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme workers to lodge invalid Protection Visa applications—sometimes without their knowledge or consent. ABF officers also uncovered labour-hire intermediaries who reportedly encouraged PALM scheme workers to abandon approved employers, then exploited them through illegal cash-in-hand arrangements and overcrowded, unsanitary housing conditions likened to modern slavery.
In Dimbulah, ABF officers executed a pre-dawn warrant and detained an unlawful non-citizen, alleged to be facilitating illegal immigration assistance and trafficking workers to local businesses. Another individual, previously known to Queensland Police for using violence and coercion to force migrant workers into illegal work and substandard housing, was also removed from Australia.
ABF Commander John Taylor said the operation was part of a national crackdown on those exploiting vulnerable migrant workers for profit.
“Operations like this ensure Far North Queensland is not seen as a safe haven for migrant worker exploitation or visa abuse. We will not accept workers being exploited, placed in substandard housing, and then forced to pay for the privilege,” Commander Taylor said.
He added that intelligence allowed authorities to identify offenders and dismantle criminal networks.
“Regional communities like Mareeba and Innisfail don’t want exploitation happening in their backyard, and members of the public continue to play a critical role by reporting concerns and helping to disrupt this behaviour, particularly in the agricultural industry.”
Those found exploiting workers face severe consequences, including fines, civil prosecution, or public designation as a ‘prohibited employer.’ The operation sends a strong message that Australia will not tolerate abuse of its visa system or the mistreatment of vulnerable migrant workers.
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