Item 1 of 3 Migrants disembark from a British Border Force vessel as they arrive at the Port of Dover, in Dover, Britain, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Chris J. Ratcliffe/File Photo

[1/3] Migrants disembark from a British Border Force vessel as they arrive at the Port of Dover, in Dover, Britain, December 29, 2024. REUTERS/Chris J. Ratcliffe/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) – Police in Britain will be able to require illegal migrants to remove their coats and allow mouth searches at British ports so officers can look for mobile phones or SIM cards and gather intelligence on their journey, the government said on Monday.

The Home Office (interior ministry) said the new powers would support investigations aimed at dismantling criminal gangs suspected of smuggling migrants across the Channel.

It said the gangs frequently use phone contacts and social media to recruit migrants for small-boat crossings from France, which have reached record levels this year.

The Labour government has been hardening its immigration policies, above all on illegal immigration, in efforts to stem the soaring popularity of the populist Reform UK party, which has driven the immigration agenda.

The law is expected to receive “Royal Assent” – a formality that does not involve further debate – in the coming days.

Officers can make migrants remove coats, jackets or gloves to search for devices and may inspect mouths for concealed SIM cards or small electronics, the Home Office said.

The government department, led by Shabana Mahmood, explained that previously, mobile phone searches were only possible after a migrant’s arrest, adding that the new powers would let officers collect information faster.

Polls suggest immigration has overtaken the economy as British voters’ top concern. Over the summer, protests took place outside hotels housing asylum seekers at public expense.

The government’s tougher stance on migration has been criticised by some rights groups, which argue that some policies scapegoat migrants and fuel racism and violence.

“Using invasive powers to search through the clothing – and even inside the mouths – of desperate and traumatised people when they have just survived a terrifying journey across the Channel is a dystopian act of brutality,” said Sile Reynolds, Head of Asylum Advocacy at Freedom from Torture.

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