Greece will suspend the processing of asylum applications for individuals arriving by sea from North Africa for three months, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced Wednesday.
The decision comes after a significant increase in migrant arrivals on the island of Crete, straining local resources.
More than 7,300 sea arrivals from northeastern Libya have been recorded this year on Greece’s southern islands of Crete and Gavdos, according to government and aid agency estimates. This marks a substantial rise compared to approximately 5,000 arrivals in the entirety of 2004, highlighting the accelerating pace of this migration route.
Mitsotakis stated that legislation to enact this suspension will be presented to parliament tomorrow. He clarified that “migrants who enter the country illegally will be arrested and detained.”
The surge in arrivals has placed considerable pressure on Crete and Gavdos. These islands lack established migration reception camps and have struggled to secure adequate temporary housing.
The majority of these migrants originate from the Middle East and North Africa, including nationals from Sudan, Egypt, and Bangladesh.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Greek coastguard rescued about 520 migrants off Gavdos, transporting them to the mainland. Greece was a primary entry point during the 2015-2016 migration crisis, when over a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa crossed into Europe.
