A document released under the Freedom of Information Act has disclosed that unaccompanied children were detained at UK-run centres in France nearly 300 times last year.
The data forms part of about 900 cases in which lone minors have been held at British short-term facilities near Calais and Dunkirk over the past four years.
Reacting to the released document, refugee charities expressed shock at the figures, raising concerns about the privacy and treatment of children held in UK-run facilities in France.
Criticising the condition of the facilities, inspectors have raised concerns over the poor conditions and operational procedures at UK-run short-term holding facilities in France, while NGOs say the centres operate in “legal and procedural grey zones.”
The facilities — Coquelles freight, Coquelles tourist, Calais tourist and Dunkirk — are used to detain suspected irregular migrants and individuals believed to be carrying incorrect travel documents for less than 24 hours.
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Freedom of Information (FoI) data further show there were 284 cases involving minors at the sites in 2025, up 10% from 258 in 2024, marking a rise from 87 cases recorded in 2023 and 253 in 2022.
Overall detentions, covering both adults and children, stood at 7,454 in 2025, down from 9,736 in 2024. The 2023 figure was 8,302.
Inspectors also flagged safeguarding failures after authorities were unable to trace referrals for two vulnerable child detainees who were later re-trafficked.
Reacting to the figures, a senior policy analyst at the Refugee Council, Kama Petruczenko, said: “These facilities are UK-run and form part of the UK’s border operations, so we should be worried that so many children continue to be detained.”
Calling for greater protection of minors who are refugees, he added: “Refugee children are children first and foremost. They should not be held in unsuitable detention settings or exposed to processes that risk their welfare.”
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