London: The High Court ruled on Thursday that the British government broke the law when it routinely placed newly arrived unaccompanied child asylum seekers in hotels.

A child protection charity filed a lawsuit against the British Home Office and local government in Kent, on the southern coast of England, over how they treated unaccompanied immigrant children. The charity claimed that the temporary housing arrangements deprive the children of the statutory child protection protections to which they are entitled.

No matter their immigration status, all children who need to be cared for are entitled to legal obligations of care, according to Justice Martin Chamberlain's ruling.

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One of the most fundamental obligations of any civilised state, according to the judge, is to ensure the safety and welfare of children who have no adult to care for them.

The charity that filed the lawsuit, Every Child Protected Against Trafficking, or ECPAT, claimed that as a result of the failures of the government, hundreds of children had gone missing, with many of them possibly being trafficked for illegal exploitation.

According to the judge, Home Office representatives have been putting kids up in hotels for more than two years.

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However, he added, "it cannot be used systematically or routinely in circumstances where it is intended, or functions in practise, as a substitute for local authority care." He said it was acceptable to place children seeking asylum in hotels for "very short periods in true emergency situations."

The Home Office and Department for Education had argued that the hotel use was "a matter of necessity," and they had opposed the legal challenges.

As a result of these illegal actions by the Secretary of State and Kent County Council, "so many of the most vulnerable children remain missing and at risk of significant harm," said Patricia Durr, the charity's chief executive.

The Conservative government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to crack down on asylum seekers who arrive on small boats and risk their lives crossing the English Channel from northern France. He has emphasised that his top priority while in office is "stopping the boats".

Last year, more than 45,000 people crossed the English Channel to reach Britain, and more than 12,000 more have done so so far this year.

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The controversial Illegal Migration Bill, which will prevent anyone who enters the UK illegally from requesting asylum, was approved by Parliament earlier this month. The new law allows for the detention and subsequent deportation of refugees and migrants to either their country of origin or a "safe third country," like Rwanda.

Rights organisations have harshly criticised the bill for being unethical and in breach of the UK's commitments to international human rights.
Numerous people have been forced to stay in hotels or other unsuitable accommodations while they wait for their asylum claims to be processed, according to critics of the government's handling of the massive backlog of asylum claims