Homeland ministers from the Five Eyes alliance gather in London to coordinate new measures against people smuggling, online child abuse, and synthetic drug trafficking.
London
Homeland security ministers from the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance—comprising the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—are meeting in London this week to strengthen border security and crack down on people smuggling networks, British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said on Sunday.
The two-day summit, hosted by the UK, will focus on coordinated measures to dismantle criminal smuggling gangs exploiting migration routes, while also addressing online child sexual abuse and the distribution of synthetic opioids. Mahmood, newly appointed following a recent cabinet reshuffle, emphasized the alliance’s commitment to “hitting people smugglers hard” and protecting borders through collective action.
The talks come amid heightened global concern over migration, with Britain facing pressure over record asylum claims and dangerous small-boat crossings across the English Channel. In the U.S., President Donald Trump has made cracking down on both legal and illegal immigration a priority for his second term.
Attending alongside Mahmood are U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Canada’s Gary Anandasangaree, Australia’s Tony Burke, and New Zealand’s Judith Collins. The ministers are expected to announce joint strategies to disrupt smuggling operations, prevent online exploitation of children, and curb the trafficking of synthetic opioids, signaling increased international cooperation against organized crime.
The summit underscores the Five Eyes alliance’s growing role in tackling transnational threats by combining intelligence sharing with coordinated enforcement actions across borders. The UK could suspend visas from countries that do not “play ball” and agree to return deals for migrants, the new Home Secretary has said. Shabana Mahmood made the comments as she hosted Donald Trump’s head of homeland security and ministers from Australia, New Zealand and Canada at a meeting of the intelligence-sharing Five Eyes group in London on Monday.
The talks came as the government continued to face pressure to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats. Saturday, which was Mahmood’s first full day in the job, saw 1,097 people arriving, one of the highest numbers of people on record.