The legal position on the immigration detention of children is unclear: is it permissible, subject to the ultima ratio (last resort) principle, or is it prohibited outright? International opinion is divided, with different human rights bodies favouring one or the other position. In November 2017, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families issued a Joint General Comment in which they stated forthrightly that the immigration detention of children is prohibited and that the ultima ratio principle does not apply to the immigration context. This article situates the Joint General Comment in the broader context, interrogates its conceptual foundations and explores the extent to which it is likely to settle the debate. The key finding is that the position adopted in the Joint General Comment is correct but founded on a faulty premise and a misplaced emphasis. A more theoretically solid foundation for the prohibition on the immigration detention of children is advanced based on a teleological interpretation of the right of the child to liberty in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with a particular focus on the concept of arbitrariness.

中文翻译：

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全面禁止移民拘留儿童

关于儿童移民拘留的法律立场尚不清楚：是允许的，受最后比例（最后手段）原则的约束，还是完全禁止？国际舆论存在分歧，不同的人权机构支持一种或另一种立场。2017 年 11 月，儿童权利委员会和保护所有移徙工人及其家庭成员权利委员会发表联合一般性意见，直言不讳地表示禁止对儿童进行移民拘留，并且最终比例原则不适用于移民背景。本文将联合一般性评论置于更广泛的背景下，询问其概念基础并探讨它可能在多大程度上解决辩论。关键的发现是，联合一般性意见所采取的立场是正确的，但建立在错误的前提和错误的重点之上。基于对《儿童权利公约》中儿童自由权的目的论解释，特别关注任意性概念，为禁止对儿童进行移民拘留奠定了更坚实的理论基础。