UK to confiscate phones of migrants crossing English Channel on small boats

Mobile phones and sim cards will be taken off would-be asylum seekers without needing to arrest them from Monday as part of efforts to tackle English Channel crossings and people smugglers.

Officers will begin confiscating devices from people at Manston processing centre in Kent, where data from the phones may provide intelligence on people smugglers.

The new powers for law enforcement agencies are intended to speed up investigations and come after the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law in December.

Home Office Minister Mike Tapp, Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Citizenship, said on Monday the powers were “well and truly proportionate” as children were dying in the Channel because of the recklessness of gangs running the crossings.

Border Security Minister Alex Norris said: “We promised to restore order and control to our borders, which means taking on the people smuggling networks behind this deadly trade.

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

“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.”

A total of 41,472 would-be asylum seekers arrived in the UK in 2025 after crossing the English Channel – the second highest annual figure on record.

The yearly total was 13 per cent higher than the figure for 2024, when 36,816 made the journey, and 41 per cent higher than 2023’s total of 29,437.

It was also 9 per cent below the all-time high of 45,774 in 2022.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour have confined themselves to “cosmetic tweaks” and that there is no deterrent to those crossing the Channel.

Instead, he pressed for quitting the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to take effective action, which Labour has rejected in favour of reforming the treaty to address the issue.

The government’s new law also introduces sentences such as up to 14 years in jail for storing or supplying boat engines to take people to the UK across the Channel.

Smugglers downloading maps on where to depart on small boats or researching the best places to buy equipment for the dinghies could also face up to five years in prison.

The UK’s Border Security commander, Martin Hewitt, who has the responsibility of stopping Channel crossings, said more than 4,000 disruptions against smuggling gangs have taken place since his unit was set up, such as by seizing cash and convicting gang leaders.

He said on Monday marks a “key moment” to go further with extra tools to crack down on smugglers.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also announced plans for a series of reforms in what she described as “the most s