Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies could be carried out at three UK airports.

The US government is in talks to introduce so-called "pre-clearance" at Manchester, Edinburgh, and London Heathrow airports, meaning US immigration officers could vet passengers traveling from the UK to the US under the guidance of Trump's controversial executive order.

Ireland, where pre-clearance customs checks are already in place at Dublin and Shannon airports, pledged this week to begin a "complete review" of the process after Trump introduced travel restrictions on people from seven majority-Muslim countries.

The Netherlands ditched its plans to introduce pre-clearance at Schipol airport in Amsterdam earlier this week in protest against Trump's order. However, the UK government's Home Office told BuzzFeed News there are no plans to stop pre-clearance desks from appearing in the UK.

An expert in migration law, Professor Mary Bosworth from Oxford University, told BuzzFeed News she believes the pre-clearance gates would act like "a little bit of America on another country's soil".

"In practical terms it would mean that US border guards would carry out US border policies on British soil," said Bosworth. "And so, yes, in light of President Trump's executive order ban on refugees and travellers from those seven countries, that would be enforced here in Britain."

In its initial announcement, the Department of Homeland Security said setting up pre-clearance in the UK and beyond will help to "enable the CBP [US customs and border protection] to stop potential threats before they arrive on US soil".