The council told Young People Now that because many unaccompanied young asylum seekers travel with false documents, they risk being jailed in adult prisons under the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004 if the Government disputes their age.
Judith Dennis, policy adviser for unaccompanied children at the council, said: "The law is a no-win situation for young people. When young asylum seekers come here, they sometimes travel on false adult passports to avoid being noticed, so when they arrive the Home Office will treat them as adults.
"It then makes it difficult to present themselves as under-18 and they could be sent to adult jails."
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