UK announces tougher rules to remove illegal migrants and foreign criminals

The UK government will increase its detention capacity for illegal migrants by 40% over the next decade as part of a wider crackdown on illegal immigration, with plans to remove more than 45,000 foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers who have no legal right to remain in the country.

The expansion of the Haslar and Campsfield Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) will more than triple their combined capacity from 290 to around 1,000 beds. The government said the additional detention spaces would enable faster removals and strengthen immigration enforcement, reiterating that those entering the UK illegally "will not be able to stay."

Deportations at decade high

The announcement comes as the government said returns and deportations have reached their highest level in nearly a decade. According to official figures, nearly 70,000 people with no legal right to remain in the UK have been removed since the current government took office, a 41% increase compared with the previous 21-month period.


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Of these, around 10,000 were foreign national offenders, up 36% over the same comparison period.

To sustain the increased enforcement drive, the Home Office plans to double the Immigration Enforcement budget by 2028-29 and increase the enforcement workforce by 60% between 2024 and 2026-27.

The additional resources are expected to support significantly more immigration raids, arrests and deportations in the coming years.

Government cites scale of illegal migration

The government also cited a recent report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI), which it said found that it had inherited an immigration system with more than 412,000 illegal migrants in the UK.

Officials said the planned expansion of detention facilities would complement the intensified enforcement measures already underway.

Legal reforms planned

The government also intends to introduce an Immigration and Asylum Bill, as outlined in the King's Speech. The proposed legislation will seek to reform aspects of human rights law, including modern slavery legislation and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which ministers say are being misused to delay or prevent the removal of people with no legal right to remain in the UK.

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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government had significantly increased removals since taking office but would "not stop there," adding that the expanded detention capacity would enable thousands more illegal migrants and foreign criminals to be deported.