People who advertise online illegal channel crossings can face a prison of up to five years under a new crime, which is a plan to launch the government.
The crime, which the government is currently undergoing Parliament under the Border Security, Sharan and Immigration Bill, is demanding a creation of a crack on the number of migrants coming to the UK on small boats.
Helping illegal immigration in Britain is already a crime, but officials believe that crime will give police and other agencies more power to disrupt criminal gangs.
Last week figures shown More than 25,000 migrants have arrived in Britain In 2025 so far through small boats, a record for this point in the year.
The new UK-wide crime will criminalize the manufacture of materials for online publication, promoting or provides services that facilitates violation of the UK immigration law.
This will include people using social media for fake passport or visa, or the promise of illegal work opportunities in the UK, and can also impose a large fine of jail time.
According to the home office analysis, about 80% of the migrants reaching the UK via a small boat have told the authorities that they have used social media during their visit, including contacting agents involved in people smuggled gangs.
Home Secretary Yett Cooper said: “A safe journey in Britain and selling false promises of a life in this country – whether or offline – just to earn money, is no less than immoral.
“These criminals have no issue with the leading migrants for life-drank situations using a brazen strategy on social media. We are firm to do everything to stop them.”
The National Crime Agency (NCA) already works with social media companies to target online posts promoting organized immigration crime with more than 8,000 posts in 2024.
The NCA has taken action against several people-smuggled gangs where social media accounts have been used to promote crossings.
A network operated by Preston -based smuggler Amanj Hasan Zada, which was kept in jail for 17 years, Videos of migrants were posted.,
Director General of NCA operating Rob Jones said that the proposed new crime would give them more options to target gangs and their business models.
The home office stated that Albanian people-Smagalar cases, who have used social media platforms, which will be under the proposed crime, to promote £ 12,000 “package deals” in Britain including housing and employment on arrival.
Policing Minister Diana Johnson said that the law would be drafted to enable the law to enable “additional-regional access”, which would mean if an advertisement was produced abroad and the criminal travels to Britain, the authorities in Britain would “be able to deal with them”.
He said: “We will work, as we have done for several months, with officials in other countries, to keep these people in mind, to stop these criminal gangs, to stop this business model.”
But the conservatives said that the plan was “very little, too late”.
Chhaya Home Secretary Chris Filp said: “Tampering on the edges will not fix the problem.”
He said that the Orthodox Exile Bill would “allow police and other agencies to” remove illegal arrival immediately and remove them without any delay “.
One wants to work more closely with France to reduce 10 crossings.
A The deal was hit in early July Prime Minister Sir Kir and French President Emmanuel Macron to send some migrants between Sir who reaches France on small boats.
To return to every migrant, France will send a refugeer to Britain – possibly with a family connection to Britain.
But critics reported that it would include a small ratio of those who currently crossed, and questioned whether the plan would stop the migrants.
The government has also tightened the rules It is almost impossible for anyone who arrives in Britain on a small boat to become a British citizen.
