The family wing of Yarl’s Wood immigration centre, in Bedfordshire, closed in December. Mr Clegg pledged that no child would be held in detention over Christmas.
An end to child detention was one of the agreements made by the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives when they formed the coalition in May (News, 19 May).
Mr Clegg said, ‘The coalition Government has always been clear that the detention of children for immigration purposes is unacceptable. We are placing the welfare of children and families at the centre of a fairer and more compassionate system. In recent years we have seen hundreds of children who have committed no crime locked up in detention centres. Today we show how we will ensure it never happens again.’
However, campaigners have asked for confirmation that the proposed alternative system, called the ‘ensured returns’ procedure, does not involve the detention of children under another name.
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