Mobile phones and sim cards will be seized from migrants who have arrived in small boars from Monday, as part of efforts to tackle Channel crossings and people smugglers.
Officers will begin taking electronic devices from people at Manston processing centre in Kent, where they will use on-site technology to download data from them in a bid to gather intelligence.
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.
“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.
“These operational measures sit alongside sweeping reforms to the system, to make it less attractive for migrants to come here illegally and remove and deport people faster.”
A total of 41,472 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel last year – the second-highest annual figure on record.
The yearly total was 13% higher than the figure for 2024, when 36,816 migrants made the journey, and 41% higher than 2023’s total of 29,437. It was 9% below the all-time high of 45,774, recorded in 2022.
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The new powers are hoped to speed up investigations and come after the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law in December.
The government’s new law also introduces criminal offences, with anyone found guilty of storing or supplying boat engines to bring migrants to the UK via the English Channel smuggling route facing up to 14 years in prison.
Smugglers downloading maps on where to depart on small boats, or researching the best places to buy equipment for dinghies, could be jailed for up to five years.
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Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Labour has confined itself to “cosmetic tweaks”, adding that there was no deterrent to those crossing the Channel.
He has instead pressed for the government to quit the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to take effective action. Labour has rejected this in favour of reforming the treaty to address the issue.
