Half of migrants Kent council believed were children were actually adults, figures show

Kent County Council reclassified ten of 19 migrants initially believed to be children as adults after frontline workers raised doubts in 2025. All had been due to enter foster or children’s homes, but reassessments revealed discrepancies in their claimed ages. The council, which handles the majority of small boat crossings in the UK, currently cares for 2,656 unaccompanied child migrants annually. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the findings, calling them a 'serious safeguarding risk' and warning that children in care could be endangered. He cited cases, including a Sudanese man with facial hair, where migrants falsely claimed to be underage. Philp also warned that Labour’s Borders Act may worsen the situation by removing protections for those refusing age assessments. The Home Office stated that child safety remains a priority and confirmed plans to modernize age verification using Facial Age Estimation technology in the coming months. The data was obtained through Freedom of Information requests, highlighting ongoing challenges in accurately determining migrant ages upon arrival. Critics argue the issue exposes flaws in the current system, where visual assessments alone may not be sufficient. The council’s obligation to care for unaccompanied minors adds pressure to refine age-verification methods. Meanwhile, debates continue over how to balance legal protections for genuine children with concerns about potential abuse of the system.