Three medical royal colleges have backed a call from the charity Medical Justice for the government to release immediately any children and their families detained for reasons of immigration and to close all such facilities.

An investigation by the charity has found that detaining children for immigration purposes causes widespread anxiety, suffering, and harm. Several children have attempted to end their lives and physical health problems have been exacerbated or directly caused by detention, says the report.

Medical Justice, which arranges for doctors to visit detainees in UK immigration removal centres, says that both Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, and the …