A Mid and West Wales MS has called on the Welsh Government to protect children seeking asylum in Wales against a “cold-hearted” deportation policy.

According to the Refugee Council, lone child asylum seekers are often at a greater risk of being wrongly classified as adults by the Home Office and then sent to Rwanda under the UK government’s controversial policy.

In 2022, two-thirds of children deemed adults by the Home Office were later confirmed as children by local authorities.

The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader and Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds has urged the Welsh Government to ensure that children seeking asylum in Wales, especially those on their own, are granted protection as part of Wales' role as a nation of sanctuary.

“Our nation’s reputation as a haven for those fleeing hardships is under threat from the UK Government’s cold-hearted Rwanda policy,” she said.

“This immoral approach towards what is essentially a human-rights crisis represents a serious threat to our most vulnerable residents, those being unaccompanied children.

“We here in Wales, both as a Nation of Sanctuary and under the Social Services and Well-being Act 2014, have a moral and legal duty to protect lone-child asylum seekers.