Under new powers that came into effect on Monday, UK authorities can now seize mobile phones and hidden SIM cards from migrants who arrive illegally in the country by small boats across the English Channel. The move is part of a wider effort by the British government to curb illegal migration and crack down on people-smuggling networks.

Law enforcement agencies are now allowed to confiscate electronic devices such as mobile phones and SIM cards from illegal migrants without needing to formally arrest them. The purpose of this power is to gather intelligence that can help authorities track, investigate and arrest organised criminal gangs involved in people smuggling.

The UK Home Office described these measures as “game-changing” and said they would help authorities intercept organised criminals more quickly and strengthen action against those facilitating illegal migration.

UK Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris said the government is committed to restoring control over the country’s borders. “We promised to restore order and control to our borders, which means taking on the people smuggling networks behind this deadly trade,” Norris said.

He added that the government is taking firm steps to disrupt criminal networks.
“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,” he said.

Norris also said these measures are part of broader reforms aimed at discouraging illegal migration. “These operational measures sit alongside sweeping reforms to the system, to make it less attractive for migrants to come here illegally and remove and deport people faster,” he said.

Phone seizures have already begun at the short-term migrant holding facility in Manston, Kent, located in south-east England. Technology installed at the site allows officers to download data from seized devices for investigation purposes.

Under the new powers, the National Crime Agency (NCA), police forces and Immigration Enforcement officers can carry out such seizures in various locations. These include property searches, vehicle checks and coordinated raids.

Officers are also permitted to ask illegal migrants to remove outer clothing such as coats, jackets and gloves. In addition, they can conduct mouth searches if there is suspicion that a SIM card is being concealed.

UK Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt said criminal gangs involved in smuggling migrants show no concern for human life.“Criminal smuggling gangs facilitating illegal migration do not care if people live or die,” Hewitt said.

He highlighted the government’s recent progress against these networks. “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 said.

Hewitt said the new powers mark an important step forward. “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,” he said.

The new measures come under the UK’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which is now in force. Under the law, authorities can charge individuals for moving, storing or supplying equipment used to bring migrants into the UK illegally. This includes items such as boat engines, with offenders facing up to 14 years in prison.

The Act also introduces penalties for smugglers who download, research or record information to support illegal migration. Those found guilty could face up to five years in jail.

Such offences may include downloading maps showing where to launch small boats to avoid detection or researching where to buy materials needed to construct vessels used for illegal crossings.

The Home Office said the law also criminalises the import, manufacture or supply of hidden compartments used to conceal migrants in vehicles. “The new laws also make it a criminal offence to import, manufacture or supply compartments that modify a vehicle, like fake floors for a van or a lorry to hide migrants underneath - offenders could receive up to five years in prison,” the Home Office said.

The department compared the new approach to counter-terrorism policing. “Like the approach taken by counter-terrorism police, these offences mean law enforcement can intercept a gang network's operation and strike at an earlier stage than previously possible, to catch and arrest smugglers before lives are put at risk,” it said.

The National Crime Agency believes the expanded powers will help speed up investigations that previously took months or even years to complete. These developments follow UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s announcement of major reforms to the asylum system in November last year.

According to official figures, arrests, convictions and seizures of criminal cash and assets linked to illegal migration rose by 33 per cent in the year ending September 2025 compared to the previous year.

The Labour Party government also stated that it has deported 50,000 people who had no legal right to remain in the UK since coming into power in July 2024.