Reform UK has unveiled an ambitious and highly contested immigration enforcement strategy that would establish a UK Deportation Command modelled closely on the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement, prompting strong criticisms from rights groups and political opponents.

The party’s newly appointed home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, presented the plan in Dover, characterising current migration levels as an “invasion” and asserting that the United Kingdom should take decisive action to reclaim control of its borders.

The proposed command would aim to detain up to twenty-four thousand individuals at any one time and deport as many as nearly three hundred thousand people each year, with up to five deportation flights daily.

Under the proposal, indefinite leave to remain would be abolished and replaced with time-limited visas, surveillance capabilities would be expanded, and new powers of search and enforcement would be introduced.

Yusuf rejected comparisons with violent encounters involving enforcement agents in the United States, arguing that UK policing “is done by consent” and that officers would not be routinely armed.

He also threatened visa freezes for nations that refuse to accept the repatriation of their nationals.

The announcement has drawn intense condemnation from migrant advocacy organisations and political figures who warn the proposals could tear communities apart and undermine fundamental rights.

Representatives from groups such as the Work Rights Centre and Freedom from Torture described the plan as a “sadistic” vision that risks dismantling families and eroding civil society.

They argued that drawing on the US model would import policies that have previously been criticised for harsh treatment of migrant communities and damage trust between immigrant populations and authorities.

Opponents also highlighted concerns that scrapping long-established immigration status protections and expanding detention capacity would have profound social and legal consequences.

Supporters within Reform UK defend the initiative as necessary to enforce immigration laws, deter illegal migration and restore public confidence in border security, framing it as a decisive response to persistent migration challenges.

The intensifying debate underscores deep divisions within British politics over immigration policy and the balance between enforcement and human rights obligations.