The government says social media platforms `clearly need to do far more` after it emerged a list purporting to contain the names and addresses of immigration lawyers was being spread online.
Initially shared on the Telegram messaging app - along with the phrase “no more immigration” - it has now begun appearing on other platforms.
Lawyers have told the BBC they have been advised by police to work from home, board up office windows and install fireproof letterboxes.
Jim McMahon, minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, told the Today programme, on BBC Radio 4, that he was `concerned`.
One immigration lawyer on the list told the BBC she had been repeatedly threatened, and received messages on Monday from concerned colleagues, clients and members of the public telling her she was `on a hitlist`.
The Law Society of England and Wales said it was treating the list as a `very credible threat` to its members.
“This week has been a stark reminder that the anti-lawyer rhetoric has very real-world consequences for solicitors working tirelessly for their clients, access to justice and the rule of law,` said its president Nick Emmerson.
`We don`t know if they will transpire to be protests like we`ve seen in other places or whether it`s a list that`s intended just to cause alarm and distress or even to provoke,` Mr McMahon said.
`But to be clear we are absolutely prepared in terms of our policing response, in terms of our prosecutor response, and also in terms of our court response.`
The BBC has approached Telegram for comment on the spreading of the list - it is yet to respond.
However, in a previous statement about the unrest it said its moderators were `actively monitoring the situation and are removing channels and posts containing calls to violence.`
It said such `calls to violence` were explicitly forbidden in its terms of service.
Mr McMahon warned people could `expect the full force of the law` if they `cross the line`, whether it is `on the street or online`.
The Telegram group was created just hours after the killing of three children at a holiday club in Southport, on Merseyside, on 29 July.
That triggered waves of unrest in England and Northern Ireland, partly fuelled by far-right activists and

online misinformation.
Henry Parker from fact-checking firm Logically said one issue the government was facing is that powers in the Online Safety Act - which could be used to tackle the spread of misinformation - aren`t yet in force.
`Unfortunately, riots haven`t waited for regulatory processes to catch up, and that`s the situation we find ourselves in at the moment,` he said.
Police response
Mr Parker added, that while he was confident the government was taking steps to tackle the problem, multiple teams had a role in fighting misinformation which could lead to a “to-and-fro where people are trying to work out ‘Well what do we do about this?’” slowing down action.`
Mr McMahon would not be drawn on whether Telegram could be told to remove channels where the list is being spread, or whether the messaging app could be blocked altogether.
He said it was important that police and prosecutors were able to do their jobs `without any political interference`.
Mark Webster, the chief constable of Cleveland Police, told Today people should be `very careful` about `naming individual premises or saying what we’re doing individually in forces`.
`You will see an awful lot of resource today and over the following days to make sure we can manage responses to all of the intelligence that comes in,` he said.
He urged people to focus on official communications online, and not to `react to things on social media from sources you can’t verify`.
Ciaran O’Connor, analyst at online extremism think thinktank, ISD, told the BBC that Telegram had taken `a hands-off approach to tackling disinformation and all shapes of extremism` on its platform.
`We’ve seen lists of refugee accommodation and immigration services addresses being shared, and an invitation to ‘protest’ on Wednesday evening,` he said.
`We’ve seen the celebration of violence that has happened so far, and the widespread dissemination of false, misleading and inflammatory claims about Muslims, migrants and the stabbing.
`This captures the essence of the largely unmoderated space on Telegram.” V.5538

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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