𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Britain does not need Donald Trump-style ICE raids to ramp up deportations, Shabana Mahmood has insisted.

The Home Secretary claimed a “record” number of migrants had been removed without using armed units. And she vowed to “go further” in removing more illegal migrants, failed asylum seekers and immigration offenders, but ruled out US-style raids.

Ice has faced criticism, accused of arresting both legal migrants and US citizens and targeting people based on their race.

The deaths of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, shot during clashes with federal officers during demonstrations against Ice raids in Minneapolis have sparked further protests.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson told the Commons: “British people have watched in horror over the past weeks as President Trump’s Ice squads have murdered, kidnapped and oppressed people.

“Even infants and children have not escaped this rough treatment.”

Mr Wilkinson added that “the Conservatives have suggested they would like to introduce a removals force styled on Ice”.

He asked: “So, will the Home Secretary condemn Trump’s Ice squads, and will she reassure us that we will not see Ice squads on the streets of Britain?”

Ms Mahmood replied: “I’m not plagued with America-brain. I don’t spend any of my time worrying about what’s happening over in the States. But as the Home Secretary, I focus on my day job which is protecting people in our country, and he will know full well that we do not have anything like the sorts of arrangements that we’ve seen over in America.

“But without having armed immigration enforcement, we’ve already got record removals to just under 60,000 since we’ve been in Government. We will go further but we will do so in line with the arrangements we already have in place and our British values.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch last year told The Telegraph newspaper she “wouldn’t be surprised” if US president Mr Trump “loved” her party’s deportation plans. These included a pledge to deport 150,000 foreigners not granted permission to stay every year.

Reform UK has vowed to deport 600,000 illegal migrants if Nigel Farage wins the next election. Under Mr Farage’s plans, the new ‘UK Deportation Command’ will use data from banks, the Home Office, HMRC, police, DVLA and NHS to identify every illegal migrant, Reform said.

They will then be offered £2,500 each to leave the UK during a six-month grace period. Once the voluntary returns programme comes to an end, immigration enforcement teams will be ordered to carry out raids and arrest them.

And under the Conservatives’ plans, police officers will be ordered to check the immigration status of everyone they arrest in a bid to deport 150,000 illegal migrants a year. Frontline bobbies will be “mandated” to cross-reference details of suspects against “biometric borders data” held by the Home Office.

And a new Removals Force – modelled on America’s ICE agency – will be able to use facial recognition technology “without warning signs” to detect illegal migrants hiding in plain sight. This could see teams springing out from hidden locations after monitoring an area with facial recognition cameras to detain and deport people living illegally in the UK.