Syrian children arrive in UK from 'Jungle' after legal victory

Three Syrian children arrived in Britain from the so-called Calais “Jungle” on Monday, becoming the first people from the migrant camp to be relocated legally under a rarely used process.

The three are all aged between 14 and 16, and one was orphaned by the war.

They will now be allowed to stay with relatives in the UK while their asylum claims are processed.

It is the first time the Dublin III process has successfully been used to help bring lone children from the camp to stay with relations already in Britain.

The Dublin III process, also known as the Dublin Regulation, is an obscure European Union law that makes an EU nation responsible for examining an application for asylum seekers aiming for protection under the Geneva Convention.

However, according to two charities Citizens UK and Safe Passage, much more still needs to be done to help a further 150 unaccompanied minors stranded in the camp and separated from their families.

“Today, we look forward to celebrating the arrival of these three vulnerable children who have already experienced more loss and hardship than any child should have to bear,” Rabbi Janet Darley, spokesperson for Citizens UK, told the Guardian.

“Tomorrow, we will be returning to the work of reuniting the rest of the 150 children who are still stuck in the system, waiting to be reunited with their families in the UK. We call on the government to speed up this process so that the children can be where they belong; with their families in the UK.”

Meanwhile, legislation has passed in the House of Lords to allow 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children into the UK, the Guardian reported.

In a vote of 306 to 204, the Lords passed a motion to amend the immigration bill, requiring the government to let the refugee children, who are currently in Europe, enter Britain.

Yvette Cooper, chair of the Labour Party's refugee task force, told the Guardian that she would do all she could to get the amendment passed in the House of Commons as well.

“[Prime Minister] David Cameron must now drop his opposition to helping unaccompanied child refugees in Europe,’’ she said. “It is morally indefensible and does not do justice to Britain’s proud record of providing sanctuary to those most in need.”

The UK Home Office’s Upper Tribunal on Asylum has previously ruled that many of those in Calais are not genuine refugees but migrants keen to access what they perceive to be better benefits in Britain.

However, courts later ruled that special cases had to be considered due to the extremely poor conditions in the camp where so-many minors had been left stranded.