The Conservatives will pledge to create a new immigration taskforce modelled on Donald Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency, the Guardian has learned. Party leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce the policy on Sunday as the Tories head into their annual conference after a year of historically low poll ratings.
The proposed 'removals force' would be tasked with deporting 150,000 people each year and would receive £1.6bn in funding. Under the plans, officers would have 'sweeping new powers', including the ability to use facial recognition technology without warning to identify those eligible for removal. The taskforce would work closely with police, with officers required to conduct immigration checks on everyone they stop or arrest.
Badenoch will argue that the Ice model has proved a 'successful approach' in the US, where it removed nearly 200,000 people in the first seven months of Trump's second presidency. However, Ice has faced widespread criticism for arresting legal migrants and allegedly targeting people on the grounds of race.
The announcement is a cornerstone of a new 'borders plan' to be unveiled at the Conservative conference. The party also plans a radical overhaul of the asylum system, including granting refugee status only to those directly threatened by a foreign government, excluding those fleeing conflict or 'less tolerant' laws. Immigration tribunals would be abolished, legal aid would be denied, and the UK would leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
Badenoch will contrast her plan with that of Reform UK, whose leader Nigel Farage has promised to deport up to 600,000 people. She will say: 'Reform have nothing but announcements that fall apart on arrival. Our “stronger borders” plan is serious and credible and backed by a comprehensive legal analysis.'
