In a controversial escalation of its border enforcement strategy, the United Kingdom has begun seizing mobile phones and SIM cards from illegal migrants without making arrests, under new powers designed to target organised smuggling rings operating across the English Channel.
The sweeping measure — part of the recently enacted Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act — took effect on Monday at the Manston processing centre in Kent, where officers are now permitted to confiscate electronic devices from people who arrived on small boats from northern France. Authorities say the intelligence extracted from devices could help dismantle people-smuggling networks faster than traditional policing.
Sky News reports that officials will also use on-site technology to download data from confiscated phones as part of real-time investigations into criminal networks that profit from dangerous Channel crossings.
Home Office ministers are defending the policy as a necessary tool to disrupt transnational crime, with Border Security Minister Alex Norris saying the government promised to “restore order and control to our borders” and will act “faster than ever before to cut off smuggling gang supply chains.”
However, the move has ignited fierce criticism internationally. The Guardian highlights concerns from human-rights campaigners who argue the searches — which may include inspections for hidden SIM cards inside clothing or even mouths — amount to a severe intrusion into personal privacy, especially for vulnerable individuals and children. Critics have labelled the practice inhumane and potentially unlawful.
The latest measures come amid ongoing political debate in Britain over migration: while government figures point to tens of thousands of small-boat arrivals in recent years, opposition voices claim the new powers are little more than symbolic tweaks that fail to address deeper systemic issues.
As the UK pushes ahead with its hard-line approach, international observers and civil liberties groups will be watching closely to see whether these unprecedented powers prove effective — or spark legal challenges and renewed protests.