By Salma El-Sakka
The UK Home Office is preparing to deploy live facial recognition technology at transport hubs and public events as part of the largest immigration enforcement crackdown in British history, according to newly published policy documents.
Policy Documents Outline Expanded Use
The documents reveal a programme to use live facial recognition cameras for "general immigration enforcement", including non-criminal immigration offences. The technology would identify people seeking to re-enter the UK unlawfully, target those subject to removal action, and crack down on broader "immigration-related criminality". Individuals could be placed on watchlists for overstaying a visa or entering without leave, which are civil matters.
Trials and Budget Increase
Three trials of the technology were conducted at Holyhead port in Wales between November and February, focusing on locating people travelling from Ireland in breach of deportation orders. The expansion follows Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's decision to double the immigration enforcement budget and increase its workforce by 60% to enable "tens of thousands" more raids, arrests and deportations.
Concerns Over Surveillance and Bias
Campaigners have described the expansion as a "huge and shocking escalation of mass surveillance". The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants warned that giving immigration enforcement a "racist mass surveillance tool in public places is frightening", citing well-documented bias in misidentifying people of colour. The Open Rights Group said authorities are exploiting the absence of national legislation regulating facial recognition in the public sector.
Regulatory Oversight Questioned
The biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner, William Webster, stated he was not consulted on the policy and clarified that live facial recognition for immigration purposes falls outside his remit. He noted the proliferation of the technology into different service contexts raises important questions about regulatory oversight, which he hopes will be addressed in forthcoming legislation.
