Lone children held at UK-run detention centres in France 284 times last year

Lone children were held at UK-run detention centres in France on nearly 300 occasions last year, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. Data obtained by the Guardian shows they are part of about 900 instances when unaccompanied minors have been detained at British short-term facilities near Calais and Dunkirk over the last four years. Refugee charities said the numbers were “shocking” and raised concerns about secrecy surrounding the treatment of children held in UK-run facilities in France. Inspectors last year described “poor” conditions at the sites, while NGOs have said they are “legal and procedural grey zones”. The short-term holding facilities – Coquelles freight, Coquelles tourist, Calais tourist and Dunkirk – are designed to hold clandestine travellers and those suspected of having incorrect paperwork for no longer than 24 hours. Despite being run by the UK government, data on who is held by the UK in France is not published as part of official immigration statistics. FoI documents show there were 284 cases of minors held at the sites last year – a 10% rise on 2024. In that year, there were 258 child cases across the sites, a huge 197% rise from 87 cases in 2023. In 2022, there were 253 children recorded as being held at the sites. There were 7,454 detentions of adults and children at the sites in 2025, a drop from 9,736 in 2024. In 2023, there were 8,302. …