UK to Confiscate Migrants’ Phones Under Expanded Border Security Powers

Photo by Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP

The United Kingdom has begun enforcing new border security measures that allow authorities to seize mobile phones and SIM cards from migrants arriving by small boats from northern France, as part of a tougher crackdown on irregular migration and cross-border crime.

The policy, which took effect this week, empowers police and immigration officers to confiscate devices at initial processing centres in southeast England, including the Manston facility near Ramsgate. Officials say the move is designed to gather intelligence that could help dismantle organised smuggling networks responsible for Channel crossings.

The Labour government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is under pressure to reduce migrant arrivals following a sharp rise in numbers. More than 41,000 people crossed the Channel last year, marking one of the highest figures since records began in 2018 and intensifying political debate around border control.

Under recently enacted legislation, officers can carry out phone seizures without making an arrest. Authorities believe data such as contact lists, messages and location histories could provide crucial leads to identify facilitators, track routes and prosecute those coordinating the journeys.

Border officials have framed the policy as a necessary response to organised crime, arguing that stronger enforcement tools are essential to disrupt what they describe as a dangerous and exploitative trade. The law also introduces harsher penalties for offences linked to migrant smuggling, including supplying boat engines, with prison terms of up to 14 years.

However, the measures have drawn criticism from migrant advocacy groups, who argue that confiscating phones undermines basic rights and further penalises people seeking safety. They warn that mobile devices are often migrants’ only link to family members, legal support and emergency assistance.

Political reactions have also been mixed. While government ministers defend the policy as part of a broader effort to regain control of the borders, opposition figures have questioned its effectiveness, calling it a superficial response to a complex problem and urging more fundamental changes to asylum policy.

The phone seizure powers form part of a wider reform agenda that includes proposals to make refugee status temporary, subject to regular review, and to extend the waiting period before migrants can apply for permanent residency, changes the government has described as the most far-reaching overhaul of the asylum system in decades.