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UK Government Introduces New Offence to Tackle Criminal Gangs Promoting Channel Crossings on Social Media

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The UK government has outlined new measures to crack down on social media content that promotes small boat crossings and fuels organised immigration crime. A new, UK-wide offence will be introduced under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to criminalise the creation of material for publication online that promotes or offers services facilitating a breach of UK immigration law. This includes small boat crossings, fake travel documents, and explicitly promising illegal working opportunities in the UK.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new offence will make it a crime to create online material that promotes or offers services facilitating a breach of UK immigration law, including small boat crossings, fake travel documents, and illegal working opportunities.
  • Approximately 80% of migrants arriving via small boats told officials that they used social media during their illegal journey to the UK, including to locate or communicate with an agent or facilitator associated with an organised crime group.
  • The proposed measure will also make it a crime to post online content that encourages someone to break UK immigration law in exchange for financial incentives.
  • Individuals caught by the offence could receive a prison sentence of up to 5 years and a large fine.
  • The new legislation will empower law enforcement to disrupt the tactics of people-smuggling gangs and ensure people face proper penalties.
  • The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, stated that selling false promises of safe journeys to the UK and a life in the country is "nothing short of immoral".
  • The National Crime Agency Director General (Operations), Rob Jones, highlighted that many people-smuggling networks use social media to promote their services to migrants.
  • The Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, Joanne Jakymec, stated that the CPS will charge cases where there is evidence of suspects using social media to advertise small boat crossings, fake travel documents, or illegal working opportunities.
  • Online adverts for people-smuggling services are part of the business model for organised crime groups that everyone in the Border Security Command is working tirelessly to disrupt and stop.

Statistics:

  • Since December 2021, the National Crime Agency has worked closely with social media companies to remove around 22,000 posts promoting organised immigration crime, with more than 8,000 removed in 2024 - a 40% increase on the previous year.
  • The new measure will bolster efforts by the National Crime Agency and other law enforcement to build cases against those who facilitate organised immigration crime in this way.
  • The number of arrests of those caught working illegally has increased by 50% since the new measures were introduced.
  • The government has returned 35,000 people with no right to be in the UK, and imposed tougher sanctions against gang ring leaders, key intermediaries, and suppliers of people-smuggling equipment.

Sources:

  • Home Office and The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, "New offence to target criminal gangs promoting dangerous journeys like Channel crossings to the UK on social media", 2 August 2025.
  • National Crime Agency Director General (Operations), Rob Jones, quoted in "New offence to target criminal gangs promoting dangerous journeys like Channel crossings to the UK on social media", 2 August 2025.
  • Joanne Jakymec, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, quoted in "New offence to target criminal gangs promoting dangerous journeys like Channel crossings to the UK on social media", 2 August 2025.

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