UK authorities will begin using new counter-terror style powers on Monday to seize the phones and SIM cards of migrants arriving by small boats from northern France. The measure, part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s efforts to curb Channel crossings, aims to disrupt criminal gangs facilitating illegal migration.
The seizures will take place at the Manston processing centre near Ramsgate on England’s southeast coast and can be conducted without an arrest, under the recently passed Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. Officials hope the data will help identify networks, contacts, and routes used by people smugglers. Border Security Minister Alex Norris said the move is intended to “intercept, disrupt and dismantle these vile gangs faster than ever.”
Last year, over 41,000 people made the perilous Channel crossing, the second highest since 2018. The new legislation also criminalises actions such as supplying or storing boat engines for migrant transport, punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
Charities have condemned the measures as anti-refugee and an attack on human rights, while opposition voices argue the changes are cosmetic. The UK government has additionally proposed longer waits for permanent residency, temporary refugee status reviews every 30 months, and policies inspired by Denmark’s strict asylum system.
