UK detains 76 age-disputed migrant children under one-in, one-out scheme
Detention staff and child protection teams must resolve age disputes before removal
Change
UK detained 76 asylum-seeking children whose ages were disputed and held them in adult immigration removal centres in preparation for forced returns to France under the one-in, one-out scheme after removals began in September.
Why it matters
Age disputes now create a legal barrier to transfers because unaccompanied children cannot lawfully be held in adult facilities. Removal operations must pause or verify age before any transfer, raising the prospect of halted returns and legal challenges.
Implications
- — UK Home Office immigration caseworkers — must immediately resolve disputed ages with documented age assessments before scheduling removals to France — otherwise scheduled returns will be halted and face legal challenge for unlawful detention.
- — Immigration removal centre operators — must immediately stop placing anyone with an unresolved age dispute in adult detention wings and segregate them for child safeguarding procedures — or they risk breaching domestic law and facing enforcement action or litigation.
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