Latest news with #ThanosPlevris
Euronews
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Crete sees surge in migrant arrivals despite harsher aslyum policy
ADVERTISEMENT Authorities in Greece say more than 120 migrants were intercepted off the island of Crete early on Monday, the latest in a series of arrivals despite a suspension of asylum claims and plans for tougher detention rules. Two boats, carrying 58 and 68 people and believed to have departed from Libya, were stopped and the passengers placed under guard at temporary shelters. More than 100 other migrants arrived on Crete over the weekend after strong winds eased. Greece's conservative government suspended all asylum claims for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa in July, a move it argued helped deter crossings that peaked in July at more than 2,500 in a single week. The suspension passed by a vote of 177-74 despite fierce opposition from left-wing parties, which unsuccessfully challenged the amendment as unconstitutional. The emergency measures drew sharp criticism from international human rights organisations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees expressed "deep concern." While acknowledging Greece's right to manage borders, UNHCR said border control "must be in line with international and European law." Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, also condemned Athens' response, arguing it "would legalise returning people to face a risk of torture and other serious violations, in breach of (Greece's international) obligations." But Thanos Plevris, the migration affairs minister, told lawmakers up to 1,000 migrants were arriving daily and described the situation as resembling an "invasion." The central government remains at odds with regional authorities in Crete over a plan to build a permanent transit facility on the island. It is preparing draft legislation, to be submitted after the summer recess, that would mandate imprisonment for migrants whose asylum claims are denied and require ankle monitors during a 30-day compliance period before deportation. Trying to reach Europe Greece remains a key entry point to the EU for individuals fleeing conflict and hardship in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Arrivals surged last year, with over 60,000 migrants landing in Greece — the majority by sea — compared to around 48,000 in 2023, according to UN refugee agency data. By mid-June 2025, Greece had recorded 16,290 arrivals, over 14,600 of which were by sea. With Greek authorities stepping up patrols along the eastern maritime border with Turkey, traffickers appear to be increasingly choosing the longer and more dangerous route across the Mediterranean from North Africa, using larger boats capable of carrying more people.
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Migrants on deportation list to wear ankle monitors, Greek government says
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Migrants in Greece with rejected asylum claims will be required to wear ankle monitors as part of planned measures to speed up deportations, a government official announced Monday. Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said the measure is set to be implemented before the end of the year under reforms that would criminalize noncompliance with deportation orders. 'The use of electronic monitoring will make it clear that the options have narrowed,' Plevris told state-run ERT radio. The tougher regulations, including mandatory jail terms for defying deportation orders, will be submitted to parliament next month after a summer delay caused by a spike in migrant arrivals from Libya to the island of Crete. Plevris said electronic monitoring would be enforced during a 30-day compliance period granted to migrants after asylum claims are rejected and appeals exhausted. He added that the government is also considering a deportation bonus of of 2,000 euros ($2,300) for those who willingly comply. Hard-line migration policies introduced by Greece's conservative government — including a recent ban on asylum claims for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa — have drawn criticism from the Council of Europe and human rights groups. The Associated Press
Associated Press
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Migrants on deportation list to wear ankle monitors, Greek government says
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Migrants in Greece with rejected asylum claims will be required to wear ankle monitors as part of planned measures to speed up deportations, a government official announced Monday. Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said the measure is set to be implemented before the end of the year under reforms that would criminalize noncompliance with deportation orders. 'The use of electronic monitoring will make it clear that the options have narrowed,' Plevris told state-run ERT radio. The tougher regulations, including mandatory jail terms for defying deportation orders, will be submitted to parliament next month after a summer delay caused by a spike in migrant arrivals from Libya to the island of Crete. Plevris said electronic monitoring would be enforced during a 30-day compliance period granted to migrants after asylum claims are rejected and appeals exhausted. He added that the government is also considering a deportation bonus of of 2,000 euros ($2,300) for those who willingly comply. Hard-line migration policies introduced by Greece's conservative government — including a recent ban on asylum claims for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa — have drawn criticism from the Council of Europe and human rights groups.
TimesLIVE
08-08-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Greece may extend North Africa asylum ban if migrant flow resurges
Greece could extend a suspension on examining asylum applications passed by parliament last month if migrant flows from Libya start rising again, migration minister Thanos Plevris said on Thursday. In July the centre-right government stopped processing asylum requests from migrants arriving from North Africa by sea for at least three months in an effort to curb arrivals from Libya to the Greek island of Crete. In an interview with public broadcaster ERT, Plevris said he could not rule out an extension to the suspension if there was a "new crisis". Arrivals of irregular migrants in Crete declined rapidly after the new legislation took effect from 2,642 in the first week of July to 900 in the whole period since then. New legislation is being prepared that will clearly define that "whoever comes into the country illegally will face a jail term of up to five years," Plevris said, referring to those who are not fleeing armed conflict, who could qualify for asylum. Human rights groups accuse Greece of turning back asylum-seekers by force on its sea and land borders. This year, the European Union border agency said it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece.
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greece says migrant numbers down since asylum pause
The number of irregular migrants reaching the Greek island of Crete has plummeted since the government announced a three-month suspension of asylum hearings condemned by rights groups, the migration minister said Thursday. An unprecedented surge in arrivals from Libya to the Mediterranean island of Crete this summer caught Greece off guard as the historically more common migration route crosses the Aegean Sea bordering Turkey. More than 7,000 migrants have landed on Crete and its tiny neighbour Gavdos since the start of the year, compared with 4,935 in 2024. The arrivals sparked local anger, including from the key tourism sector, heaping pressure on the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prompting the asylum suspension. Migration Minister Thanos Plevris -- a former member of the far-right party Laos who has called the migrant influx an "invasion" -- told public broadcaster ERT that Crete had received 2,642 migrants in the first week of July. Arrivals had fallen to "below 900" since July 9, when the government announced the suspension of asylum hearings, he said. "The clear message that the country will no longer give asylum for the next three months, and that immigrants will be detained, appears to have had an effect," Plevris added. Humanitarian and migrant groups rebuked Greece for breaking international law after the asylum freeze announcement, while the UN refugee agency expressed "serious concern". Mitsotakis, whose family hails from Crete, has implemented stricter immigration policies since taking office in 2019. His government followed the asylum suspension with proposed legislation that would detain migrants for up to two years for illegal entry -- and up to five years if subsequently caught staying in Greece illegally. Plevris said he hoped the measures would become law "by early September". Greece's proximity to North Africa and the Middle East has long placed the country at the heart of perilous migration routes to Europe for people escaping conflict, persecution and poverty. Rights groups have accused Greek authorities of illegal pushbacks of migrants at the border, which the government denies. hec-imm/jj
