𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Nigel Farage has said he wants to “hijack” Donald Trump’s ICE tsar to secure Britain’s borders. Reform UK‘s leader, speaking at an event in the US attended by Tom Homan, quipped: “I’ve got terrible news for you. We’re hijacking Tom Homan and taking him back with us to secure our borders.”

Mr Homan is a key ally of US President Donald Trump, who has described him as a “border tsar”. The 64 year old is a staunch defender of Mr Trump’s migrant crackdown and an adviser at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

He takes a hardline approach to migration, having told GB News previously that he would “turn them around” when asked what he would do to curb small boat arrivals in the UK.

ICE itself has come under scrutiny after the fatal shooting of Minneapolis locals Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal agents.

More than 30 people died in custody last year and 19 ICE officers have died since 2020, according to figures from Congress and ICE respectively.

Reform UK has pledged to take a hardline on both legal and illegal immigration, including by intercepting small boats in the Channel and returning them to France.

Mr Farage‘s outfit also wants mass deportations of anyone who arrives through unofficial routes and revoke the asylum status of claims granted in the last five years deemed irregular.

Reform has said it will bring in new immigration spot checks at the UK-Ireland land border and fine transport firms £10,000 per passenger found to be entering Northern Ireland illegally.

MP Danny Kruger said the move aims to stop “illegal and unvetted dangerous criminals” using the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland as a backdoor route to the UK. He insisted it would not be a border check.

A Home Office spokesperson said “intelligence-led” operations already take place in the Common Travel Area – a long-standing open-border arrangement covering the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands.

An analysis by the National Crime Agency (NCA) of small boat crossings found that in the first half of 2026, the number of people arriving in the UK by small boat fell 41%.

The number of arrests linked to organised immigration crime in the year to the end of April 2026 rose by more than 55% and since late 2023 more than 1,600 boats or engines have been seized, according to the NCA.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum Anna Turley said previously that the analysis shows the Government is making it harder for people smuggling gangs to operate.

She said: “With crossings down significantly on last year, and the lowest arrivals over the summer for six years, our plan is bearing fruit.

“We have boosted officer numbers on French beaches, seized more than 1,100 small boats and engines and are reducing the pull factors drawing migrants across the Channel.

“This includes making refugee status temporary, cracking down on illegal working and returning more people without the right to be here.

“But we are not complacent. We will continue our relentless efforts to prevent these dangerous crossings and put those responsible behind bars.”