Reform UK faces strong criticism for proposing a deportation force similar to Donald Trump’s. Zia Yusuf, endorsed by Nigel Farage for Home Secretary, unveiled plans for a UK Deportation Command capable of detaining over 20,000 individuals simultaneously, modeled after Trump’s ICE, which has caused significant division in the US.
Yusuf intends to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain, potentially leading to the deportation of numerous legal migrants. Speaking at a press conference in Dover, Kent, he mentioned having an RAF plane on standby for removal operations.
Natasha Tsangarides from Freedom from Torture condemned Yusuf’s speech as displaying ethno-nationalist authoritarianism. She warned that such proposals could create fear and chaos in communities by dividing families.
Yusuf outlined the unit’s purpose to locate, detain, and deport migrants for removal, aiming to deport around 288,000 individuals annually while characterizing illegal migration as an invasion.
Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, Kerry Moscogiuri, rejected the idea of a British ICE, cautioning that replicating the US model could result in a system driven by fear, aggressive tactics, and discrimination.
Critics, including the Liberal Democrats’ Max Wilkinson, expressed concerns that Reform’s Trump-inspired plans for an ICE-style force would bring disorder rather than the necessary control to the UK’s immigration system.
Recent violent incidents involving ICE agents in the US raised alarms, with Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics drawing widespread criticism for their harsh and often brutal nature.
Yusuf refuted comparisons to the US situation, assuring that Britain’s deportation program would not lead to the kind of unrest witnessed in Minnesota.
