Reform UK's New Deportation Agency Mirrors Trump's 'Authoritarian Cruelty,' Plans to Detain 20,000 Migrants

Reform UK unveils controversial deportation plans reminiscent of Donald Trump's policies, sparking fierce criticism from opposition parties and human rights advocates. The proposals threaten to reshape Britain's approach to immigration with aggressive deportation tactics, stricter rules, and divisive policies.

A new deportation force, just like ICE

Reform's home affairs chief, Zia Yusuf, announced the party's intention to establish a new agency called the UK Deportation Command.

Inspired by the US's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), this body would have the power to detain over 20,000 people simultaneously. Yusuf claims it could remove up to 6,000 individuals weekly, a jump in capacity that would require a significant expansion of detention facilities.

Yusuf described the agency as a necessary step to tackle what he called an 'invasion' of the UK, a word that drew immediate backlash.

'I know many in the establishment gasp at that word,' he said, adding, 'They may well clutch their pearls in the television studios, but the dictionary definition of invasion is an incursion by a large number of people in an unwanted way.'

Charity groups like Freedom from Torture condemned these plans.

Natasha Tsangarides called Yusuf's speech 'a grotesque display of ethno-nationalist, authoritarian cruelty,' warning that these policies could tear families apart and create chaos in communities.

'His divisive and dangerous proposals threaten to divide families and wreak terror and chaos in our communities,' she added.

Other groups, such as the Work Rights Centre, also condemned the plan as a 'sadistic vision' that would rip communities apart.

Even legal UK migrants face mass deportations

Yusuf's roadmap includes scrapping indefinite leave to remain (ILR), replacing it with a five-year renewable work visa that demands higher salaries. This move could strip tens of thousands of legal immigrants of their right to live and work freely in Britain.

Labour has criticised the plan, proposing to extend the waiting period for ILR to between 10 and 15 years, which Yusuf dismissed as insufficient.

He stated, 'Tens of thousands of people with a legal right to live and work in the UK face being kicked out,' highlighting his party's tough stance on immigration.

Yusuf pledged that under a Reform government, five deportation flights would leave the UK every day. To avoid delays due to mechanical problems, he revealed that an RAF Voyager aircraft would be kept on standby as a 'hot spare.'

'His Majesty's Royal Air Force will keep a Voyager aircraft on standby as a hot spare. So even if a plane has mechanical issues, deportations will not be delayed,' he said confidently.

Critics warn these policies could plunge Britain into chaos.

Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, criticised the plans as 'Trump-inspired' and predicted they would lead to disorder rather than safety.

'Reform's plans are a serious threat to Britain's economy and key services,' he said.

Zia Yusuf has rejected these comparisons, asserting that the proposed UK agency would not carry weapons or face the same issues as its US counterpart

Reform UK's aggressive stance on immigration has ignited a fierce debate across the political spectrum. Critics see it as a dangerous drift towards authoritarianism. Supporters argue it's about restoring control and protecting national interests.