Heading to Britain, the lone ‘child refugees’ leaving the squalor of the Jungle camp
SAYING goodbye to the squalor of the Jungle camp, these lone child migrants yesterday began their journey to a new life in Britain.
Hundreds more unaccompanied under-18s with family links to the UK are set to leave France as officials prepare to shut the site down, sources have told the Mail.
The group of six, one Syrian and five Afghan, clutched their travel documents and posed for selfies as they boarded a Eurostar train.
One of the group, Saadi, a teenager from Afghanistan said: ‘I’m very happy today ... it was in my dreams to reach Britain. In London, there is my family. My sister. We have to go.’
The Home Office said small groups of children had been coming to the UK on a weekly basis over the last few months under immigration laws. Home Secretary Amber Rudd signalled this month that she hoped 300 or so under18s with ties to Britain could come here. The Mail now understands this could be significantly more – although officials are refusing to specify a figure.
Buses are being prepared to take hundreds more juveniles with ties to Britain from the squalid refugee camp where 6,000 migrants are staying.
However, the fate of other unaccompanied child refugees with no links to the UK is less certain, with Britain and France locked in ongoing discussions.
Charities, former child refugee Lord Dubs and the Daily Mail have backed legislation which will pave the way for unaccompanied lone child refugees across Europe to come to Britain.
Hundreds of unaccompanied children are currently living in the soonto-be bulldozed Calais shantytown.