Migrants’ phones and sim cards to be seized without need for arrest in latest small boats crackdown
Why phones and SIM cards will be seized from migrants arriving into the UK
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ordered the Home Office to accelerate the closure of asylum hotels, moving the deadline forward from 2029.
- New powers allow officers to seize mobile phones and SIM cards from migrants at processing centres, such as Manston, without arrest to gather intelligence on people smuggling gangs.
- These measures are part of Labour's new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which became law in December, aiming to disrupt smuggling networks more quickly.
- The announcement follows new figures revealing 41,472 people arrived in the UK via small boats last year, marking the second-highest number on record.
- The new legislation also introduces severe criminal offences, including up to 14 years in jail for supplying boat engines to smugglers.