Reform UK has unveiled a radical immigration policy platform, announcing plans to establish a UK Deportation Command agency should the party come to power. The proposed agency, modeled after the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would implement “Operation Restoring Justice” – an ambitious initiative targeting the deportation of approximately 600,000 undocumented migrants currently residing in Britain.
Zia Yusuf, the party’s newly appointed home affairs spokesperson, detailed the proposals during a Monday press conference in Dover. Identifying himself as the son of immigrants, Yusuf framed the measures as a necessary response to what he characterized as a “national security emergency” and an “invasion” of Britain. The plan includes rapid construction of detention facilities with capacity for 24,000 individuals and the implementation of visa sanctions against nations including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, and Eritrea for refusing to accept returning citizens.
Beyond immigration enforcement, Yusuf announced a comprehensive overhaul of Britain’s counter-extremism strategy. The revised Prevent program would redirect approximately 75% of its resources toward identifying and neutralizing Islamist extremism, aligning with MI5’s current caseload distribution. The party further pledged to ban organizations deemed extremist, specifically naming the Muslim Brotherhood, and to prohibit the conversion of churches into mosques, which Yusuf described as an “incendiary” practice.
These proposals emerge amid international controversy surrounding counter-extremism efforts. A recent United Nations report criticized the existing Prevent program for disproportionately targeting Muslim communities, particularly children. Independent studies have corroborated these concerns, indicating that individuals recorded as Asian and cases categorized as ‘Islamist-related’ receive comparatively greater scrutiny.
The announcement follows reports of potential collaboration between Reform UK and the United Arab Emirates, which shares the party’s opposition to political Islam. Earlier this year, UAE authorities designated eight British organizations as terrorist groups due to alleged Muslim Brotherhood connections, despite none violating British laws. Previous reporting has also revealed UAE-funded efforts to discredit Britain’s largest Muslim charity through alleged smear campaigns.