30/10/2025 -10/12/2025

• Children arriving to the UK by small boats could be subjected to mouth searches to see if they are hiding SIM cards or small electronic devices in their mouths under new Home Office rules, The Guardian reported on 1 December 2025. The regulations are part of a new UK border security bill targeting human smuggling, and extend the power of authorities to   search, seize, and retain electronic data for prosecuting criminal organisations. Human rights groups have criticised the development, with a representative from the Human Rights Network stating: “People should be treated with dignity and respect, not as criminals subject to invasive searches and interrogatory questioning violating their privacy.” 

• An investigation published by euobserver on 17 November 2025 raises serious concerns around Brook House, an immigration removal center operated by the British private security company Serco. Even though the facility is meant to facilitate deportations, statistics reveal that over half of its detainees are released back into society, rather than being deported. This raises questions around the efficacy of the government policies, and whether there is an intentiional, indefinite circulation of migrants as part of an economic model some call ‘supply chain justice’.  

• According to a report by InfoMigrants from 6 November 2025, an Iranian man was deported for the second time under the “one in, one out” deal between the UK and France. The incident has raised question regarding the effectiveness of the measure and reliability of the cooperation with France. The man has stated that smugglers in northern France trafficked and mistreated him before he was first returned to France on 19 September under the bilateral agreement intended to curb small-boat arrivals. Less than a month later, on 18 October, he crossed back to the UK on a small boat and was subsequently detained and sent back to France on 5 November. 

• More than 50 unaccompanied minors which were seeking asylum in the UK are missing, according to a report by The Guardian published on 1 November 2025. The children disappeared soon after their arrival to the UK, and it is suspected that they were abducted by traffickers. Data from Kent City Council shows that 345 children have gone missing from their area, with 56 of those still missing. The highest number of missing children is from Albania, followed by Afghan and Iranian children.