NEW UK Government legislation will give immigration officers powers to seize migrants' phones without arrest.
Children who arrive in the UK on small boats could also be searched to check if they are concealing phone SIM cards in their mouths.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which received Royal Assent on Tuesday, includes a raft of measures looking to tackle the activity of smuggling gangs.
Officers will have the power to make new arrivals remove an outer coat, jacket, or gloves at UK ports to search for devices. It will also allow immigration enforcement officials to seize phones at the border if it is believed they contain useful intelligence about people smugglers.
Home Office sources also confirmed to The Guardian that, if deemed necessary and proportionate, children could also be subjected to searches, including checking for SIM cards in their mouths.
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Charities have raised concerns about the move, including that it may be a violation of privacy and excessively invasive.
Maddie Harris, of the Humans for Rights Network, said: “People should be treated with dignity and respect, not as criminals subject to invasive searches and interrogatory questioning violating their privacy.
“Most who arrive in small boats, particularly children, will be traumatised by horrific journeys characterised by violence. [The] Home Office should prioritise recovery over criminality.”
Doctors Without Borders, in a statement, said of the bill: “The UK Government had a unique opportunity to establish a more compassionate and effective asylum system, in line with its international obligations. Instead, this new Bill focuses on border security and criminalisation.
“Under the previous government, almost all safe routes to the UK have been closed or blocked. The absence of alternative routes and increased border securitisation means individuals are forced to make more dangerous journeys. In 2024, at least 78 people died attempting to cross the Channel.
“We know that deterrence approaches do not work and only cause further harm, as seen with containment policies in Greece and the UK. The UK government must go further, repeal the Illegal Migration Act in its entirety, the Nationality and Borders Act and expand safe and legal routes to the UK.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “This new Bill gives law enforcement stronger powers than ever the powers they need to intercept, detain and arrest people smugglers who bring illegal migrants to our shores.
“I will not stop until we’ve restored order and control at the border.”
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