{"id":30233,"date":"2026-01-05T03:53:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T08:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=30233"},"modified":"2026-01-05T03:53:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T08:53:43","slug":"new-uk-powers-to-seize-phones-from-illegal-migrants-come-into-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2026\/01\/05\/new-uk-powers-to-seize-phones-from-illegal-migrants-come-into-force\/","title":{"rendered":"New UK powers to seize phones from illegal migrants come into force"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New powers allowing mobile phones to be seized from illegal migrants without arresting them have come into force.<\/b><\/p>\n

The government said it will help gather intelligence on smuggling gangs organising small boat crossings to the UK.<\/p>\n

The Home Office said seizures will begin on Monday at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent, with technology on site ready to download intelligence from devices.<\/p>\n

Officers will be able to demand that migrants remove their coats to search for phones and also check their mouths for SIM cards.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The National Crime Agency said the information collected could speed up investigations into smuggling gangs.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

The Refugee Council said it was important that the new powers were used proportionately.<\/p>\n

It said phones were a lifeline for vulnerable people who needed to remain in contact with their families.<\/p>\n

Mike Tapp, minister for migration and citizenship, said seized phones could later be returned but that would “depend on the individual circumstances… what’s found on that phone. That’s for the guys on the ground to make that operational decision.”<\/p>\n

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he added: “If people have devices… that could hold intelligence, then we are right to be able to seize that. But that doesn’t take away compassion.”<\/p>\n

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The new law also introduces offences that could leave perpetrators facing up to 14 years in jail for storing or supplying boat engines to bring migrants to the UK.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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