Nearly 100 children wrongly detained as adults under UK-France migration deal
At least 94 children were mistakenly identified as adults and held in immigration detention under Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s “one in, one out” agreement with France, according to details disclosed in a letter from the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB).
Between August 2025 and May 2026, Home Office officials recorded 304 age-disputed cases arising from the scheme, officially named Operation Hillmore, with 31% ultimately confirmed to be minors. Standard UK policy strictly prohibits the detention of unaccompanied minors beyond 24 hours.
The critical findings, sent to Home Office Minister Anna Turley by interim IMB chair Jane Leech, highlighted severe safeguarding and procedural failures. Age assessments at immigration removal centers took up to 40 days to resolve in certain instances, while some individuals faced deportation delays of up to 27 weeks, far exceeding the scheme’s 28-day target. Additionally, detainees were slated for removal despite requiring urgent hospital care or suffering from active tuberculosis.
The Refugee Council condemned the findings, urging the government to rely on social-worker-led assessments rather than administrative border checks. In response, a Home Office spokesperson stated that age assessment procedures are being modernized, including plans to roll out AI tools next year to support determinations.