An inspection report on Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre has sharply criticised the detention of children.
Chief prisons inspector Dame Anne Owers said some children were held at the Bedfordshire centre unnecessarily, with little consideration for their welfare.
And the report revealed that half were later released rather than deported.
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said the alternative to detention was putting children into care and separating them from their families.
The report comes as lawyers prepare a legal challenge to detention, following weeks of protests at the centre.
Yarl's Wood is the main removal centre holding women and families who are facing deportation.
There have been almost two months of protests at the centre, including occupations of corridors while some women have refused food.
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