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Home Office Launches 'Secure Borders UK' TikTok as Critics Question Migration Deterrence

Ministers pair a new social-media push with record 2025 enforcement figures.

Overview

  • The new account debuts with videos of arrests, detentions and deportations intended to counter misinformation and deter Channel crossings.
  • Official 2025 data show 12,791 enforcement visits, 8,971 detentions and 1,087 removals.
  • Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says there is no place for illegal working and pledges to restore order and control to the border.
  • Early reaction notes low initial engagement and mocking comments on TikTok, with opposition figures labeling the initiative a gimmick.
  • Channel crossings reached 41,472 in 2025, and a pilot to return people to France has sent about 200 back in its first three months, highlighting limits on deterrence.