No way out, now way in: irregular migrant children and families in the UK
ESRC Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, Oxford, (May 2012)Abstract
An estimated 120,000 children with no leave to remain in the UK face barriers to acessing healthcare, education, protection by the police and other public services. So-called "irregular migrant children", more than half of whom were born in the UK and have lived here their entire lives, are trapped between laws that on the one hand protect children and on the other enforce migration control. Both international and British law guarantees children access to education and healthcare regardless of their immigration status, and oblige public authorities to work in their best interests. However, increased demands on public authorities by the UK Border Agency, such as asking social services to report suspected illegal immigrants, are pushing families and children away from services, leaving them more vulnerable and isolated.