UK PM Vows Arrest, Detention, Deportation of Undocumented Migrants

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued his strongest warning yet against illegal migration, declaring that anyone entering or working unlawfully in the UK will face immediate arrest, detention, and deportation.

In a statement shared on his official social media platforms, Starmer said his administration will no longer tolerate irregular migration or unlawful employment. “Illegal entry means detention. Illegal work means arrest.

Foreign national offenders will be deported,” he wrote, adding that migrants crossing the English Channel illegally will be detained and returned rather than accommodated.

The warning comes as Home Office data shows more than 29,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year , nearly 50% higher than the same period in 2024, setting a new record. The surge has heightened public anger over the use of taxpayer-funded hotels to house asylum seekers, where over 32,000 people remain accommodated despite government pledges to phase out the practice.

The crisis has triggered protests in several cities, including London, Skegness, and Gloucester, with at least five arrests during weekend demonstrations. Tensions escalated after an asylum seeker housed at a government-funded hotel was arrested earlier this summer over the alleged assault of a 14-year-old girl.

To stem the rising influx, the UK and France are piloting a “one-in, one-out” scheme, under which migrants arriving illegally by boat will be sent back to France while Britain accepts the same number of asylum seekers through a legal pathway. The arrangement, however, will only affect a small fraction of arrivals.

The Starmer government has also secured a Court of Appeal victory allowing the continued housing of migrants at the Bell Hotel in Epping, despite opposition from local authorities a decision expected to further inflame tensions.

With mounting pressure from anti-immigration protests, record Channel crossings, and growing public frustration, Starmer reiterated that his government’s migration policy would remain uncompromising. Nigerians and other undocumented migrants living in the UK have been warned to expect stricter enforcement, swift detention, and deportation under the Labour administration’s zero-tolerance stance.