Robert Jenrick claims cartoon murals removed from asylum center were 'not age appropriate'

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Immigration minister convicted of ordering staff to paint cartoon murals at a reception center for asylum seekers says they were withdrawn because they were not 'age-appropriate'.

< p>Robert Jenrick has been accused of 'losing sight of humanity' with his intervention at the Kent Admissions Unit , where unaccompanied child asylum seekers are processed after arriving on small boats.

He defended the move when questioned repeatedly by MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday , said the unit was always of "high quality" and provided "appropriate support".

"The cohort of unaccompanied children who came through this last year were largely teenagers and we didn't feel the site was age appropriate, but it does have a range of support services for children and infants,” Mr Jenrick said. /p>

“Nothing in the decoration of the sites changes the fundamental principles that if someone comes to the UK, we will treat them with decency and compassion at all times.

Yvette Cooper, Labor's Home Secretary, said painting over cartoon Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters would not 'deter' small craft , and accused the minister of flouting "common decency towards vulnerable children".

The fact that several Tory MPs were appalled by the order, which was initially resisted by staff but performed by outside contractors last Tuesday.

During the same visit, Mr. Jenrick reportedly requested that colored welcome signs be removed to clearly indicate that the unit was a "Law Enforcement Environment". law" and "not a shelter".

The Freedom charity From Torture accused the government of "losing sight of its humanity", while Labor MP Stella Creasy compared the Minister to a "cartoon villain".

The murals were photographed as part of a surveillance inspection which said the Kent Admissions Unit was "predominantly used for unaccompanied children arriving on the coast to be monitored, identified, interviewed and issued with immigration documents."

A report published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons last month said that they were held in windowless "detention rooms", adding, "The unit was newly built and the rooms were in good condition, warm and well lit, although there were no windows."

Immigration m...