Children arriving in the UK via small boats may now face invasive searches to check for hidden phone SIM cards, according to new rules introduced by the Home Office. Under these measures, immigration officials will have the authority to seize mobile phones at border points if they suspect these devices contain information related to people-smuggling operations.
The recent regulations empower officers to conduct searches, requiring new arrivals to remove outer clothing such as coats and jackets. Additionally, officials will be permitted to conduct searches inside individuals’ mouths for concealed SIM cards or small electronic devices. Home Office sources indicated that children could also be subjected to these searches if deemed necessary and proportionate.
Concerns have been voiced by several charities regarding the implications of these measures. Refugees have expressed skepticism about the likelihood of the Home Office uncovering useful intelligence on the phones of new arrivals. One Syrian refugee shared their experience, stating, “I never heard of any asylum seeker hiding a SIM card in their mouth. When we crossed the Channel, the smugglers told us to delete everything from our phones.”
Maddie Harris, a representative from the Humans for Rights Network, which supports young asylum seekers, criticized the new policy. She remarked, “People should be treated with dignity and respect, not as criminals subject to invasive searches and interrogatory questioning violating their privacy.” Harris emphasized that most who arrive by small boats, particularly children, are often traumatized by their harrowing journeys.
The Home Office maintains that the searches are intended to gather intelligence on asylum seekers’ journeys and to facilitate the arrest of people-smugglers. Officials from immigration enforcement, the police, and the National Crime Agency (NCA) will be able to search migrants for phones without the need for an arrest. Furthermore, new serious crime prevention orders will empower NCA and police investigators to restrict suspects from using mobile devices or accessing social media.
These new regulations are part of the broader border security, asylum, and immigration bill, which is anticipated to receive royal assent in March 2024. Notably, in 2022, the High Court found the Home Office acted unlawfully when it employed a blanket policy to confiscate the mobile phones of small boat arrivals. At that time, officials claimed that the purpose of the seizures was to gather intelligence on smuggling activities.
Alex Norris, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, stated, “Organised criminal networks rely on phone contacts and social media to recruit migrants for Channel crossings. These new powers will allow law enforcement to seize illegal migrants’ phones before an arrest so we can gather intelligence and shut down these vile smuggling gangs before they attempt to risk more lives in these dangerous journeys.”
Critics of the policy include Sile Reynolds, the head of asylum advocacy at Freedom from Torture. Reynolds described the invasive searches as a “dystopian act of brutality,” stating, “These new powers, which will be used indiscriminately against all those who arrive seeking safety by small boat, risk treating all refugees as a security threat.” She added that such measures display a blatant disregard for the universal human right to privacy.
As the UK government implements these measures, the impact on vulnerable populations, particularly children, remains a significant concern among human rights advocates and refugees alike.
