ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

Over 1,000 people are set to descend on the High Holborn branch of Byron burger tonight in a fresh protest over immigration raids – just days after activists released thousands of cockroaches, locusts and crickets in the restaurant.

Activists from London Black Revs and the Malcolm X Movement shut down Byron venues on Shaftesbury Avenue and in Holborn on Friday by releasing bugs into the restaurants.

Byron has been condemned on social media after reportedly collaborating with the Home Office to arrest dozens of its migrant workers earlier this month.

In a joint statement on Facebook, the groups explained the “affirmative action” and slammed the chain’s “despicable actions in the past weeks having entrapped waiters, back of house staff and chefs in collaboration with UK Border Agency.”

The post added: “Some 35 staff members, many of whom were led off in handcuffs and have been deported out of the country while hundreds more are hiding in fear."

It has been claimed that the upmarket burger chain lured migrant workers into 15 restaurants across London by offering them fake training days – while Home Office officials waited to pounce.

Now, campaign groups including Unite Hotel and Restaurant Workers Branches, London Latinxs, Black Dissidents and Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants have joined forces to hold a second “non-violent” protest at 6pm this evening in a bid to “shine a spotlight on Byron’s unethical behaviour.”

2,100 people have expressed an interest in Facebook group 'Protest: Shame on Byron - No one is Illegal' with 1,300 claiming to be taking part in the “show of solidarity” with migrant workers.

A spokesman for Byron said: “The safety of our customers and restaurant teams is paramount, and our priority is now to work with local police to minimise the risk of further incident.

“The restaurants reopened on Saturday after an all clear from pest control.”

The restaurant chain also claim they had carried out right to work checks on migrant staff and say they were “unaware that any of their workers were in possession of counterfeit documents”.

The spokesman added: “The Home Office recognises that Byron as an employer has always been fully compliant with immigration and asylum law in its employment practices. We carry out rigorous right to work checks, but sophisticated counterfeit documentation was used in order to pass these checks

"We have cooperated fully and acted upon the Home Office’s requests and processes throughout the course of their investigations: it is our legal obligation to do so. We have also worked hard to ensure minimal impact on our customers while this operation was underway.”

The Home Office dismissed the “trap” claims.