Child migrants are being racially abused at a hotel where scores are going missing, a whistleblower has claimed.

The asylum seekers living in the hotel managed by the Home Office are said to have been threatened with violence amid a growing chorus of voices calling for action.

The news comes amid concerns that children staying at the hotel in Hove may have been kidnapped or coerced into crime.

The whistleblower told The Observer children have been threatened and there has been jokes about them going missing.

“There was a lot of xenophobic stuff, like ‘F*** off back to your country.’" One child was called a ‘f***ing terrorist’,” they said

They added: “We heard things about boys being taken, that this boy got taken by a car, things like that. They went missing. The hotel was unsafe. Everybody knew this was a place of vulnerable asylum seekers, so it became a target.”

Around 1,600 children are thought to have moved through the hotel in Hove in the last 18 months.

Nearly 140 children are said to have disappeared from the hotel, with 76 still missing.

Debate is now afoot about who is legally responsible for safeguarding the children in our city, with the Home Office and Brighton and Hove City Council both at odds with one another.

A council spokesman said: “The council takes its safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. When any child is reported missing, the council works with the police and Home Office in every case to help trace the missing child.”

The Argus: Protesters called for action on missing child migrants this weekProtesters called for action on missing child migrants this week (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

A Home Office spokesman told The Observer: “We have not received any complaints in relation to these claims. The wellbeing of children in our care is an absolute priority.

“Robust safeguards are in place to ensure they are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority. When issues do arise, we take complaints extremely seriously and they are acted upon quickly.

“In October, the independent immigration watchdog found young people in hotel accommodation unanimously reported feeling safe, happy and treated with respect.”