Idiots proposed this kind of thing years ago; it was denounced as “both inappropriate and unethical to take radiographs of people when there is no health benefit for them”; and even the Home Office called it “unethical”.
It should also be remembered that the reason the UK has immigration restrictions at all was to keep out Jewish people fleeing persecution. It has always been about bigotry.
For someone seemingly so eager to try out new distros, I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned virtual machines. If the vibes are off, it’s a whole lot less disruptive to find out that way.
Your experience with drivers won’t be quite the same as a bare-metal installation, but checking out software shouldn’t be a problem.