UK officials to seize asylum seekers’ phones without arrest under new border powers

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The UK's Home Office plans to immediately begin seizing asylum seekers’ mobile phones and SIM cards without need for an arrest, British media reported on Monday.

People arriving in the UK by small boat and taken to the Manston migrant processing center in southeastern Kent may be subject to searches for electronic devices, the BBC reported.

Technology will be available on site to download data from seized devices.

Officials will also be allowed to search inside the mouths of detainees to look for hidden technology, such as SIM cards.

The Home Office has so far declined to confirm whether these powers will extend to children.

The proposals have drawn condemnation from legal representatives and campaigners, who have raised concerns about the scope of the searches and the potential impact on vulnerable people.

The move comes as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to clamp down on irregular immigration across the English Channel. The government is under pressure to reduce small boat crossings as it faces an electoral challenge from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.

In 2025, a total of 41,472 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats, almost 5,000 more than the previous year.