Farage Unveils Plan to Detain and Deport Illegal Migrants
His proposal, dubbed Operation Restoring Justice, calls for the immediate establishment of detention centers (potentially on former military sites) capable of housing 24,000 individuals, alongside five daily deportation flights and a lifetime ban on return. The plan includes revoking legal shields like the European Convention on Human Rights and the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Farage presented migration as a matter of national safety. He asserted that immediate detention and deportation would eliminate the incentive for migrants to pay smugglers, suggesting it would halt Channel boat crossings promptly.
Officials from Labour and other parties dismissed the approach as unworkable. They raised concerns over legal feasibility, human rights violations, and risks to international agreements such as the Good Friday Agreement.
Recent data highlight the urgency fueling the debate. As of August 2025, over 28,000 migrants crossed the English Channel, marking a 46 percent rise compared to the same period in 2024. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the asylum system as disorderly, and urged reforms that accelerate appeals and strengthen enforcement.
The scale of Reform UK’s deportation blueprint is staggering. The party estimates that up to 600,000 individuals could be deported within a single term of government, with promised savings of £17 billion over five years and over £42 billion in a decade. The plan also includes incentives of up to £2 billion to persuade origin countries to accept returnees.
Legal experts have raised alarms over the plan’s effects. Jettisoning key human rights protections may violate Britain’s international commitments, and could expose deportees to danger if returned to unstable or hostile regions.
The debate arrives amid widespread protests near hotels used to house asylum seekers, where locals have expressed frustration with rising migration figures and incidents of crime. Far-right groups have intensified mobilization in several towns, prompting increased policing and counter-demonstrations.
As Reform UK climbs in polls by focusing on immigration, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government seeks alternatives. These include reforming asylum appeals and targeting smuggling networks through stricter enforcement and operational changes.
Farage described the situation as a crisis demanding decisive policies. At the press conference, he stated, “There is only one way to stop people coming into Britain illegally. We must detain and deport them,” echoing his message from social media and public events as he posted the same on X:
His proposal brings immigration and human rights to the forefront of national politics. Whether it will compel mainstream parties to match his hardline rhetoric or provoke a backlash remains to be seen.
