Greek authorities arrested over two hundred illegal boat migrants over the weekend after Athens suspended accepting asylum applications from those who cross the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa.
A total of 247 boat migrants were detained and arrested by the Coast Guard over five incidents near the islands of Gavdos and Crete after they attempted to reach Greek soil from Libya illegally, public broadcaster ERT reports.
Given the move by the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to suspend accepting asylum requests from North Africa, rather than being allowed to remain in Greece, the illegals will be placed in detention centres and ultimately removed from the country.
Thanos Plevris, Minister of Migration and Asylum of Greece, said: “The 247 who entered illegally were arrested and are already being taken by the police to detention facilities. Accordingly, in close cooperation with the coast guard and the police, we are converting facilities of the migration ministry into closed detention centres to place them in a state of confinement until their return, along with any others who are arrested.
“The message is clear: we do not accept their asylum applications, we arrest them, we place them in detention in closed facilities, and we initiate the process of their return.”
The move comes in the wake of the government pausing asylum requests from North Africa for at least the next three months after a surge of illegals to the islands of Crete and Gavdos, which have seen over 7,000 migrants arrive by boat so far this year, which represents a near fourfold increase over last year.
Explaining the rationale for the suspension of asylum requests, Prime Minister Mitsotakis said earlier this month: “Faced with the sharp increase in irregular arrivals by sea from North Africa, particularly from Libya to Crete, we have taken the difficult but absolutely necessary decision to temporarily suspend the examination of asylum applications. Greece is not a gateway to Europe open to everyone.”
In addition to suspending asylum requests, the Greek Ministry of Immigration has also announced plans to introduce legislation imposing prison sentences of up to three years for illegal migrants who refuse to leave the country, according to the EU-funded InfoMigrants website.
The draft legislation would also ensure that all those who enter the country illegally will be prevented from securing legal status to remain in Greece, including those who claim asylum after breaking into the country.
The strengthening of migration restrictions comes on top of the Mitsotakis government erecting a 41-kilometre (25-mile) wall along the land border with neighbouring Turkey to stem the flow of illegals from the Middle East.
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