UK: 66 unaccompanied minors still missing after vanishing from Brighton asylum hotel

Home Secretary's lawyers informed a family court that 66 unaccompanied minors seeking refuge are still missing from just one local authority, Brighton and Hove, after disappearing from a hotel.

The number was made public during a press hearing to address the issue of no agency having parental responsibility for the missing children, as reported by the Guardian.

More than two months ago, a minister disclosed that 200 children, many of whom had come to the UK on tiny boats without parents or guardians, vanished after being placed in hotels managed by contractors working for the Home Office.

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The number includes 76 children who had disappeared from a hotel in Brighton amid concerns that they had been targeted by criminal gangs.

A children's charity has since filed an application with the high court's family division, citing "unusual circumstances," to have that group of 66 children declared the property of the court. If successful, this indicates that the court would be in charge of the children and make decisions regarding their care.

An veteran judge said that the missing children were falling into the wrong hands at a private hearing on Friday in London. Brighton and Hove is claiming that they are not the court's concern, Judge Nathalie Lieven said. "As individuals, it's not me," the secretary of state is claiming of [them].

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It is unclear if the 66 children who are still missing are all among the 76 people who have already been reported missing, or if the number also includes fresh arrivals who have since vanished. Before the hearing, one of the children had been found.

The names, dates of birth, and nationalities of the children who are currently missing can be provided to the court, according to Suella Braverman, the home secretary. The information was requested by the NGO Article 39, which advocates for children in institutional settings, so that wardship may be taken into account.

The Home Office said the wellbeing of unaccompanied minors was a priority but that “those who arrive in the UK illegally” would not be able to settle here, reported the Guardian.

“The bill will enable the Home Office to provide accommodation and support for unaccompanied children who arrive in the UK illegally should we wish to use that power,” said a spokesperson.

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