MATURE BEYOND THEIR YEARS
More fears over real age of ‘child migrants’ arriving from Calais
CONCERNS over the age of child refugees from Calais intensified yesterday, as a second group arrived in London.
One migrant in particular, wearing a blue hoodie with stubble on his chin, was rated by a facial recognition program as having the features of a 38-year-old.
He was one of 14 to be bussed to Croydon from the notorious Jungle camp shanty town before it is demolished by the French authorities. They followed 14 who arrived on Monday, as Britain works to reunite unaccompanied youngsters from war-torn countries with family members in the UK.
But it has emerged the Home Office has no way of verifying the migrants’ ages before they come to Britain, stoking concerns about adults posing as children to take advantage of the scheme. Figures released yesterday reveal
‘These people aren’t even young men’
that two-thirds of ‘child’ refugees who were quizzed by the Home Office about their age were found to be adults.
Last night an immigration source said the blue-clad migrant had told officials he was under the age of 18. ‘He says that he is a minor and that he has fled the war in Afghanistan,’ the source said. ‘He says he has an older brother living in the UK. That is why he has been allowed to come here.
‘It has been chaotic and slow here today. The computer system crashed at least once, so there has been a lot of waiting around.’
Whitehall sources said some of the children look older because they have been aged by war, which had ‘probably toughened them up, so they’ve grown up a bit quicker’.
Britain is taking in dozens of youngsters from war zones including Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan. As unaccompanied children, they are entitled to move to the UK under EU asylum law if they have families in Britain.
But the Home Office does not begin rigorous verification of their claimed ages until after they arrive in Britain, charity workers have told the Mail. Until then, UK officials largely rely on checks made by charities working in the Jungle.
But after the blue-clad migrant’s photograph was widely published online yesterday, some wondered about his age.
Analysis of his picture by Microsoft’s face recognition program How Old Do I Look? suggested he had the facial features of a 38-year-old, although the software company cautioned it was just an estimate.
And Dr Ross Perry, medical director of the Harley Street skin clinic Cosmedics, said: ‘It is very difficult to assess someone’s age based on just one photograph, but I would guess he is late 30s to early 40s. The wrinkles around the eyes are the tell-tale sign, and the loss of volume in the cheeks.
‘He doesn’t look like a child. But then if he has been living in a war zone, it could well have aged him prematurely, and it is impossible to know without meeting him.’
As he left the immigration centre in Croydon last night, the migrant in the blue hoodie was clutching a piece of paper entitled: ‘Application for biometric resident permit.’
The 14 youngsters were taken to temporary foster homes, where they will stay until social workers have interviewed their British-based relatives to ensure their homes are safe for them to live in.
Last night Tory MP David Davies said: ‘This is just a joke. Some of these people are clearly not children, they’re not even young men. This one has got lines around his eyes, lines on his face and what appears to be flecks of grey in his hair.
‘There is no way of knowing if someone is a child. We could end up causing even more misery if we are not careful. We should invite anyone who wants to come to the UK to take dental tests.’ Fellow Tory Ranil Jayawardena, a member of the Commons’ home affairs select committee, added: ‘People will be very surprised. They expected young children to be saved from the Jungle and supported by the British Government and a real effort to help the most vulnerable. Instead, we seem to have helped grown adults.’
But Alp Mehmet, of the Migration Watch think-tank, said the migrants should be given the benefit of the doubt. He added: ‘To most people, these people will seem older but they will say, “Is it any surprise I look like that after what I have been through: fighting in the hills and being tortured and travelling thousands of miles?” You have to be circumspect and inclined to give the benefit of the doubt unless there is good evidence to suggest they are a lot older.’
Claims of asylum must normally be made in the first safe country a migrant arrives in, but under a law known as the Dublin Regulation, children with family in the UK can ask for their asylum claim to be considered here.