InfoMigrants

As part of the UK's efforts to tackle irregular crossings of the English Channel and help dismantle migrant smuggling syndicates, authorities will seize mobile phones and SIM cards from people who arrive in Britain on small boats. While there are concerns about privacy rights, some in the opposition regard the measures as largely symbolic.

Electronic communication devices will be seized from irregular migrants upon arrival in the UK via the English Channel. The new powers are part of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which became law last month.

Officers at the Manston processing center in Kent — a former military facility, which has been turned into a centralized migrant processing hub — hope to gather intelligence from the devices to combat smugglers and traffickers, and learn more about their changing patterns of operation.

Until now, a court-issued warrant — either for arrest or for searching a property — would have been required to allow authorities to seize the personal devices of any individual on British soil.

Authorities including the police, immigration enforcement officers and people working for the National Crime Agency (NCA) will also be able to target phones and devices during property searches related to immigration investigations before making any arrests. This extends also to vehicle searches conducted under the suspicion of involvement in the facilitation of irregular migration.

The devices can only be returned after all data is downloaded from them, and after authorities find they have no further use for the device.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing growing pressure over his government’s shift to tougher asylum policies | Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire/picture-alliance

Devices may — or may not — be returned

Mike Tapp, Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Citizenship, said that the return of seized phones and similar devices would "depend on the individual circumstances."

"That's for the guys on the ground to make that operational decision," he said in an interview with the BBC, highlighting that everything depends on "what's found on that phone."

The BBC also reported that the new powers are so far-reaching that officers will from now on be able to "demand that migrants remove their coats to search for phones and also check their mouths for SIM cards."

It is not clear if being found out while concealing such electronic devices and their components will be held against irregular arrivals.

Policy success or 'cosmetic tweak'?

"We promised to restore order and control to our borders, which means taking on the people smuggling networks behind this deadly trade," said British Border Security Minister Alex Norris upon announcing the launch of the new scheme.

"That is exactly why we are implementing robust new laws with powerful offences to intercept, disrupt and dismantle these vile gangs faster than ever before and cut off their supply chains."

Norris added that the new measures form part of recent reforms to the UK's asylum and immigration system, designed to "make it less attractive for migrants to come here illegally and remove and deport people faster."

The UK has seen a series of anti-migrant protests during the summer months of 2025 - many of which have been led by women's groups | Photo: Reuters/Maja Smiejkowska

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who took over leadership in July 2024, had run a campaign that was focused on beating irregular migration; however, his opponents have repeatedly claimed that his policies and his government's overall course do little in terms of changing existing patterns.

One of Starmer's staunchest rivals, Chris Philp from the Conservative Party, who serves as the shadow home secretary for the opposition, said that this new law was merely one in a series of "cosmetic tweaks" introduced by the Labour government, claiming that it would not create any kind of lasting deterrent to people who are determined to cross the English Channel.

Phones could be turned against asylum seekers

It is also believed that information and data found on electronic devices such as mobile phones can be used in the context of asylum applications — including against the applicant; however, it has not been confirmed yet in what ways this might apply.

There are, for example, cases where applicants lie about aspects of their identity when submitting an asylum claim, such as nationality or age.

Data on individual devices could help in establishing evidence in fraudulent cases, although the scope of this application is believed to be somewhat limited.

The NCA said that the information gathered would primarily serve the purpose of speeding up investigations into smuggling gangs.

These migrants were photographed while trying to reach the an inflatable dinghy from the French coast near Calais to cross the English Channel on September 27, 2025 | Photo: REUTERS / Abdul Saboor

Border Security Command: 'Securing borders and saving lives'

Martin Hewitt, Britain's Border Security Commander, stressed the importance of stopping the modus operandi of smugglers: "Criminal smuggling gangs facilitating illegal migration do not care if people live or die.

"Since the Border Security Command launched, nearly 4,000 disruptions against these networks have taken place, from seizing cash to convictions of major kingpins," he underscored.

"Today marks a key moment in allowing us to go even further, with new tools and legal backing to bear down on these vile gangs, secure our borders and save lives."

Rights' groups meanwhile have been hesitant to react to the proposed changes: The Refugee Council merely said it was important that these new powers were used proportionately.

Nearly 41,500 boat arrivals in 2025

These new powers are coming into force as the official arrival number of irregular migrants in the UK for 2025 was just finalized: A sum total of 41,472 migrants managed to reach British shores upon crossing the Channel last year — the second-highest annual tally on record after 2022, when a total of 45,774 people managed to make their way Britain using this irregular route.

The annual total for 2025 was 13 percent higher than the figure for 2024, and 41 percent higher compared to 2023; 2021 saw a similar number as 2023.

Entering the UK by irregular boat journey is considered an "illegal" act, but people can still apply for asylum upon reaching British shores this way; in recent year, nearly two thirds of those who came to Britain this way were successful with their claims.

As tens of thousands of people manage to reach British shores irregularly, questions arise on whether the Labour government's policy direction will actually yield results | Photo: IMAGO

Making the intention to smuggle people a crime

The new law now coming into effect also comes with certain provisions which make the proactive assistance in smuggling activities a criminal offense.

Anyone who is found guilty of storing or supplying boats or their engines which are intended to bring irregular migrants to Britain from across the English Channel can now face up to 14 years in prison; meanwhile, a prison term of up to five years can now be handed down to anyone who imports, manufactures or supplies compartments that modify a vehicle to hide irregular stowaway migrants inside.

To date, the majority of Britain's anti-smuggling laws have dealt with the proactive facilitation of irregular journeys and the individuals involved in that illegal activity — as well as the lynchpins leading these gangs. However, in the future, even passive assistance that facilitates the illegal business of people smuggling will also become punishable by law.

Even lesser offenses, such as researching places to buy boat equipment to facilitate irregular crossings, could be jailed for up to five years, making the mere intention of smuggling migrants a crime.

At the same time, the UK continues its course of getting increasingly tougher on the actual smugglers themselves. The new law also dictates that anyone who is found to have put lives in danger during a small boat crossing, e.g. through physical aggression or by refusing to be rescued by British authorities, can also be jailed for up to six years.

While the new policy is trying to limit the activities of smugglers by gathering more intelligence on them, it is equally designed to curb people smuggling by making sure that as many smugglers are locked away as the law deems possible.