UK immigration crackdown: Illegal migrants' phones, SIM cards to be seized

New UK powers allow officers to seize phones and hidden SIM cards from migrants without arrest to speed up action against people smuggling networks

Mobile phones and hidden SIM cards can now be seized from migrants arriving illegally in the UK on small boats across the English Channel, under new powers that came into force on Monday.

 

Law enforcement agencies are now allowed to take electronic devices, including mobile phones and SIM cards, from people who arrive illegally without needing to arrest them first. Officials say the change is meant to help investigators gather intelligence to trace and arrest people smugglers.

 

The UK Home Office said the new criminal offences would allow authorities to move faster against organised smuggling networks and make earlier arrests.

 

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

 

“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.

 

“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 begin at Manston

 

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

 

The National Crime Agency, police forces and Immigration Enforcement officers can now carry out such seizures in a wide range of settings. These include property and vehicle searches, as well as raids linked to smuggling investigations.

 

Officers are also permitted to ask migrants to remove outer clothing such as coats, jackets or gloves. They can carry out searches inside a person’s mouth if there is suspicion a SIM card is being concealed.

 

“Criminal smuggling gangs facilitating illegal migration do not care if people live or die,” said Martin Hewitt, UK Border Security Commander.

 

“Since the Border Security Command launched, nearly 4,000 disruptions against these networks have taken place, from seizing cash to convictions of major kingpins.

 

“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.

 

New offences and longer jail terms

 

With the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act now in force, authorities can charge suspects for moving, storing or supplying items used to bring migrants illegally to the UK. This includes boat engines and related equipment, with offenders facing up to 14 years in prison.

 

Smugglers who download, research or record information to facilitate illegal crossings can face up to five years in jail. This includes downloading maps showing launch points that avoid detection or researching where to buy equipment to build small boats.

 

“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,” the Home Office said. “Offenders could receive up to five years in prison.

 

“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 new powers could speed up investigations that previously took months or even years to complete.

 

The measures follow Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s announcement of wider reforms to the UK asylum system in November last year.

 

Other steps taken since 2025

 

Beyond the new seizure powers, the UK government has introduced a series of measures since 2025 to curb illegal immigration.

 

• Border Security Command set up in 2025, bringing together the National Crime Agency, police, immigration enforcement and intelligence agencies to treat people smuggling as organised crime rather than a standalone migration issue.

 

• Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act expanded criminal offences beyond boat pilots to anyone moving, storing or supplying equipment used for illegal crossings, such as boat engines or navigation gear, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison.

 

• New offences created for preparatory acts linked to small-boat crossings, including downloading or storing maps, tide data or launch locations, and researching where to buy materials to build boats. These carry prison terms of up to five years.

 

• Importing, manufacturing or supplying vehicle concealment compartments, such as false floors in vans or lorries used to hide migrants, made a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in jail.

 

• Wider search and seizure powers introduced, allowing officers to confiscate phones and SIM cards without arrest, demand removal of outer clothing, and check mouths for hidden SIM cards in multiple settings, not just at arrival points.

 

• Intelligence-gathering powers strengthened to allow faster extraction of data from seized devices at holding facilities and during raids, to shorten investigations that previously took months or years.

 

• Financial disruption increased, with greater use of cash seizures, asset confiscation and money-laundering charges against smuggling networks.

 

• Asylum system reforms announced in November 2025, tightening admissibility rules, speeding up decisions for people arriving through irregular routes, and increasing use of detention where there is a risk of absconding.

 

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

 

The Labour government also says it has deported 50,000 people with no legal right to be in the UK since taking office in July 2024.