Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration into the US on the Mexican border has been praised by shadow home secretary Chris Philp, who has said that measures could work in the UK.
In a major overhaul of the US immigration system, Mr Trump moved to block asylum seekers from entering the country and fortified the Mexican border, as well as expanding the semi-militarised Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to target undocumented migrants.
In the UK, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch unveiled her party’s immigration plan at the Conservative Party Conference in October, with a plan to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and introduce a ban on asylum claims for new illegal immigrants.
Under its Borders Plan, the Tories would also bring in a “removals force”, the party said, that would be modelled on ICE, which has been criticised for alleged heavy-handed tactics.
Speaking to The Independent, Mr Philp said: “We would come out of the ECHR, which will enable us to deport all illegal immigrants within a week of arrival and remove 150,000 people a year with no right to be here.
“We would double the budget to remove people in this country illegally up to £1.6bn. We think that is what the public expect, they expect our immigration laws to be properly enforced.”
In August, Mr Philp and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick met up with US vice-president JD Vance during his holiday in the Cotswolds, with immigration among the topics discussed.
Mr Philp said the Trump administration’s policy of immediately removing people who had entered the country illegally, by not offering asylum claims, was also part of the Tory’s plan for government, but would not compare the “removals force” to ICE.
He said: “By removing people with no right to be in the United States, the US administration has reduced illegal entry across the Mexican border by 80 to 90 per cent within just a few months, which shows these policies do work, and we want to remove people who arrive illegally within a week and we want to deport anyone who is here in the country illegally already, and all foreign criminals.
“But to do that we need to leave the ECHR and the Conservatives are the only party with a credible detailed plan to do that.”
He added: “Outside the ECHR and without allowing modern slavery claims and excluding asylum claims from people that enter the country illegally, there’d be no legal basis on which they could basically contest removal, and they’d be removed back to their country of origin if safe or possible, or to a safe third country like Rwanda if not.”
Under the Conservative plan for a “removals force”, officials would work closely with police who would also be required to carry out immigration checks on every person stopped or arrested. Ms Badenoch said it would deport 150,000 people a year.
Despite a Tory campaign linking the force to ICE, Mr Philp was keen not to link the two when asked on it by The Independent. However, he said it would operate across the country with a remit to remove people who were in the UK illegally.
Also as part of its Border Plan, the Tories said refugee status would only be granted to immigrants threatened by a foreign government, and that those fleeing conflict or laws on religion or sexuality would not be eligible.
After leaving the ECHR, immigration tribunals would be abolished, with all decisions on migration taken by the Home Office.
Labour has also unveiled its own overhaul of the asylum system, against a backdrop of a record number of asylum claims in the past year and an increase rise in asylum seekers being housed in Home Office hotels.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government will change the way the ECHR is interpreted by UK judges in a bid to stop asylum seekers using their rights to a family life to avoid deportation. Refugee status will become temporary and subject to regular reviews, under Ms Mahmood’s plan.
