Nearly 100 children were wrongly identified and detained as adults under a UK-France small boat returns agreement over a nine-month period, according to a letter from the interim chair of the independent monitoring boards (IMBs) to Home Office minister Anna Turley.
Nearly 100 children detained as adults under UK-France small boat returns scheme, monitoring body says
Nearly 100 children were wrongly identified and detained as adults under a UK-France small boat returns agreement over a nine-month period, according to a letter from the interim chair of the independent monitoring boards (IMBs) to Home Office minister Anna Turley.
Of 304 age-disputed cases arising from the scheme between 15 August 2025 and 1 May 2026, 94 — or 31 percent — were ultimately assessed to be children, according to figures cited in the letter from Jane Leech, the IMBs' interim chair. Government policy limits immigration detention of unaccompanied children to 24 hours, and children are supposed to be excluded from the scheme.
The 'one in, one out' initiative, known internally within the Home Office as Operation Hillmore, was launched last August. It allows the UK to return some people who arrive by small boat to France while agreeing to accept an equal number of people from France who are judged to have a legitimate claim. Government figures covering 4 August 2025 to 30 June 2026 show 1,087 people were returned to France under the deal, during which time 27,920 people arrived in the UK on small boats.
In her letter to Turley, Leech said some detainees had been held for more than six months awaiting deportation, despite the scheme being intended to hold people for up to 28 days only 'in exceptional cases.' She cited one man detained for 27 weeks. Leech also said some people were being readied for removal to France despite having tuberculosis or requiring hospital treatment, and that others faced removal after being separated from family members with whom they had travelled, which she described as having 'a particularly damaging impact.'
Leech raised concerns about the time taken to complete age assessments, noting that in two cases observed by the Heathrow IMB board it took 40 days or more from arrival at an immigration removal centre (IRC) for an assessment to be completed. She wrote that 'child safeguarding mechanisms are ineffective' and said 'more should be done to ensure that those whose age is under dispute are not detained in the first place.'
Leech also reported evidence of poor health screening at Manston among those detained under the scheme. She stated that Gatwick IRC received one individual from Manston with tuberculosis, while a second was refused admission to Brook House due to the critical state of their health and was referred directly to hospital. She wrote that many detainees 'present as psychologically distressed' and that 'many are survivors of torture and abuse,' based on records and testimonies observed by the boards.
- The source does not include a response or statement from the Home Office or minister Anna Turley.
- The source does not state how many of the 94 children identified as minors had already been removed to France before their age was assessed.
- The source does not state the conditions or length of detention experienced by the children before their age was confirmed.
- The source does not state what action, if any, the Home Office took in response to Leech's letter.
- The source does not state the total number of people detained under the scheme during the period covered, beyond the 304 age-disputed cases.
- The source does not state the nationality or countries of origin of those detained under the scheme.
Read the original at The Guardian