Anyone who advertises small boat crossings or fake passports on social media could face up to five years in prison under new plans.
Ministers are seeking to create a new offence under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill already going through Parliament in a bid to crackdown on criminal gangs promoting journeys like Channel crossings online.
The proposed measure will also make it a crime to post content online that encourages someone to break UK immigration law in exchange for financial incentives.
It would also outlaw the promise of illegal working being promoted online.
Offenders could receive a prison sentence of up to five years and a large fine, the Home Office said.
Assisting illegal migration is already a crime, but officials believe the changes will give more powers to police and other agencies to disrupt criminal gangs.
According to the Home Office, around 80 per cent of migrants arriving to Britain by small boat have told officials they used social media during their journey, including to contact agents linked to people smuggling gangs.
GB News has previously blown the lid on the use of social media by criminal gangs.
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Advertising small boat Channel crossings online could result in a five year prison sentence under new plans
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More than 25,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Selling the false promise of a safe journey to the UK and a life in this country – whether on or offline – simply to make money, is nothing short of immoral.
“These criminals have no issue with leading migrants to life-threatening situations using brazen tactics on social media. We are determined to do everything we can to stop them, wherever they operate.”
The National Crime Agency (NCA) works with social media companies to remove posts promoting crossings, with more than 8,000 taken offline in 2024.
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Sir Keir Starmer agreed a ‘one in one out’ deal with France last month in a bid to tackle the number of migrant Channel crossings
NCA director general of operations, Rob Jones, said the proposed new offence will give them more options of how to target gangs and their business models.
Previous cases that could have been targeted under the proposed offence include a Preston-based smuggler who was jailed for 17 years for posting videos of migrants thanking him for his help.
Albanian smugglers who used social media to promote £12,000 “package deals” for accommodation and a job on arrival to Britain would also be in scope.
Joanne Jakymec, a Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Online adverts for people-smuggling services are part of the business model for organised crime groups that everyone in the Border Security Command is working tirelessly to disrupt and stop.”
The Conservatives however said the proposed law change was “too little, too late”, adding that only their proposal to automatically deport people who enter Britain through unauthorised routes can tackle small boat crossings.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Tinkering at the edges won’t fix the problem.
“Labour still has no clear plan to deter illegal entry, no effective enforcement and no strategy to speed up removals. This is a panicked attempt to look tough after months of doing nothing.
“The only clear and enforceable plan is the Conservative Deportation Bill, a no-nonsense strategy that allows us to detain illegal arrivals immediately and remove them without delay.
“The British public deserve focused action, not more of Labour’s dithering.”
