Video summary
In January 2026, the UK government launched an official TikTok account named Secure Borders UK with the stated goal of fighting misinformation about migration. However, an analysis of 138 posts reveals that rather than correcting false narratives, these videos function as state propaganda designed to weaponize fear and reshape public perception of border enforcement. The content consistently portrays immigration raids through a lens of suspenseful music and dramatic editing, transforming routine police actions into spectacles intended to provoke urgency and anxiety among viewers.
The visual and linguistic strategies employed by the Home Office create a stark imbalance in how different groups are represented within these clips. While immigration officers are shown speaking calmly as protectors of the British public, migrant men—mostly with their faces blurred—are depicted solely as threats through labels like "foreign criminal" or "illegal smuggler." This narrative framework deliberately excludes any opportunity for migrants to share their stories or explain their legal rights, effectively teaching viewers that foreignness itself is inherently dangerous and justifying violent enforcement measures against racialized bodies.
This approach leverages the specific mechanics of TikTok, such as trending soundtracks, fast edits, and short-form video styles, to condition an emotional response before a viewer even sees who appears on screen. By repeatedly associating migration with crime and danger through these curated media formats, the state frames violent border control not merely as policy but as the only necessary choice for public safety. Ultimately, the account does not target misinformation; instead, it uses the platform's attention-grabbing nature to perform a specific version of border power that normalizes fear and resentment toward migrants while positioning the government as an indispensable guardian against these manufactured threats.
Read the full video transcript
Is the UK home office using Tik [music]
Tok to weaponize fear about migration?
In January 2026, the UK government
launched an account called Secure
Borders [music] UK. You heard that
right. Go on Secure Borders UK and
you'll see raids, arrests, and
deportation set to trap beats, and
suspenseful scores alongside stats
[music] claiming net migration is down,
hotels are being closed, and arrests are
[music] being made. The Home Office say
they set it up to fight misinformation.
But is that what is really happening? I
analyzed 138 of their [music] posts and
after a while the same patterns kept
appearing. Patterns which turned border
enforcement into spectacles and cast
migrant men as threat. As I watched more
videos [music] I noticed that they all
look strangely familiar. They had groups
of migrant men mostly with [music] their
faces blurred while immigration officers
arrested them. In almost every video we
see the immigration officer speaks. They
explain what is happening, [music] why
they're there, and how they're
protecting the British public. However,
what you don't see in [music] these
videos is just as important. The
migrants almost never get the same
opportunity. You never hear why someone
came to the UK, [music] their story, or
even what their legal rights are. Every
video begins to tell the same story.
There is someone we must fear, the
migrant, and someone that will protect
us, the [music] home office. This is not
accidental. It is how the videos teach
us to interpret what we are watching.
The language [music] tells a similar
story. Foreign criminal, illegal
migrant, smuggler. Words matter because
if you hear foreign alongside criminal
often [music] enough, then foreignness
itself can start to feel dangerous.
Every raid video is set to suspenseful
music, the kind you [music] expect in
true crime documentaries, breaking news,
or even police dramas. [music] Before
you've seen who is on the screen, the
soundtrack has already told you [music]
how to feel. Scared and fearful. These
visuals, repeated language and
suspenseful soundtracks [music] turn
border enforcement into a spectacle that
provokes an emotional response of
urgency, fear, and resentment attached
to migrant bodies. What makes this
[music] all even more bizarre is that
this is official government
communication that is happening on Tik
Tok. The state is using [music] Tik
Tok's own style of short clips, fast
edits, trending soundtracks, and
hashtags to teach us who to fear and
[music] who to trust. Migrant men are
repeatedly positioned as threats while
the state presents itself as the calm
and necessary protector. Why [music]
does this matter? Because the Home
Office's Tik Tok account is not
targeting misinformation as they claim.
Instead, it is creating state propaganda
[music] which tells us how we should
feel about the violence it enacts on
racialized bodies. If migration is
repeatedly [music] presented through
crime and danger, then violent border
enforcement can begin to feel [music]
like the only choice. So the issue is
not simply that the home office has
joined Tik Tok. It is what happens when
[music and clears throat] a platform
built to capture attention becomes a
stage on which the state performs
[music]
border power.