Greece will suspend the processing of asylum applications from people arriving by sea from North Africa for three months, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in parliament on Wednesday, as the country grapples with a 350 per cent surge in migrant arrivals on its southern islands.
The conservative prime minister said arrivals by boat from the region would be arrested and detained, declaring that Greece was “sending a message of determination to all traffickers and all their potential customers that the money they spend may be completely wasted, because it will be difficult to reach Greece by sea.”
Draft legislation was submitted to parliament on Thursday, with Mitsotakis citing the same legal reasoning Greece applied in 2020 to stop thousands of people crossing the land border with Turkey during what he termed an “invasion of Evros.”
Unprecedented Numbers Strain Resources
More than 2,000 migrants landed on Crete in recent days, with another 520 rescued off its coast early on Wednesday, bringing the total number since the start of 2025 to over 9,000, according to Greek coastguard figures. This represents an increase of 350 per cent compared to last year, Vasilis Katsikandarakis, president of the Western Crete Coast Guard Personnel Association, told local media.
Immigration is suffocating us… Our personnel are literally on their knees,” Katsikandarakis said, highlighting the operational strain on authorities.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told Action 24 channel on Tuesday that “the flows are very high” and described the wave as “growing and ongoing.” The spike in arrivals has put pressure on Crete and Gavdos, which lack organised migration reception camps and have struggled to find temporary housing facilities.
Emergency Measures Announced
Under the new measures, all migrants entering Greece illegally by sea from North Africa will be detained. “This emergency situation requires emergency response measures,” Mitsotakis told parliament. The suspension will apply only to those arriving on Crete and Gavdos by sea.
Migration Minister Thanos Plevris took to social media platform X with an unequivocal message: “Clear message: stay where you are, we do not accept you.”
The government also announced plans to build a permanent closed detention facility on Crete to house those who enter the country illegally. Mitsotakis said the Greek army was prepared to cooperate with Libyan authorities to prevent boat departures from the Libyan coast.
Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds
According to public broadcaster ERT, authorities in Crete are under significant logistical strain as the pace and scale of arrivals continues to exceed available accommodation infrastructure. Several hundred people have had to be temporarily housed in a sweltering market hall, with local media reporting that among the migrants are 30 families with young children and infants.
Reports indicate that thousands of refugees are “literally piled up in miserable conditions,” exposed to the sun or in poorly ventilated rooms, prompting serious health concerns. Transportation means are also insufficient for timely movement from arrival points.
Eleni Zervoudaki, Chania’s deputy mayor for social policy, stated: “We are at the peak of our hosting capacity.” Nikos Kalogeris, deputy regional governor of Chania, described the situation as “unmanageable” and urged immediate government intervention.
International Condemnation
Human rights organisations swiftly condemned the suspension. The Greek Council for Refugees called it “illegal” and a violation of international law in a statement on social media. The group accused the government of using the increased influx as an “excuse,” saying it “only demonstrates Greece’s inability to guarantee basic fundamental rights.”
Amnesty International criticised attempts by European governments to forge deals with Libyan authorities to stem migration flows. Attempts to stop departures at any cost show a complete disregard for the lives and dignity of migrants and refugees,” the organisation stated.
People intercepted by the Libyan coastguard and returned to shore are often imprisoned in detention camps, where they face inhuman treatment and dire conditions, according to multiple human rights reports.
Diplomatic Tensions with Libya
The announcement came a day after EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner and ministers from Italy, Malta and Greece were denied entry to eastern Libya and declared persona non grata by the Benghazi-based government. The delegation had been accused of violating Libyan sovereignty by meeting with the rival UN-recognised government in Tripoli without permission.
The Government of National Stability (GNS), which controls eastern Libya, said the ministers were in “flagrant contravention of established diplomatic norms and international conventions.” The diplomatic incident risked complicating Europe’s efforts to prevent migration from Libya.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi posted on X that the delegation had met with Libyan Prime Minister Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli, but “the meetings planned in Benghazi could not take place in the end.”
Echoes of 2020 Border Crisis
Greece’s invocation of the 2020 Evros precedent has raised concerns among human rights advocates. In March 2020, Greece temporarily suspended asylum applications for 30 days following Turkey’s decision to stop preventing migrants from leaving for Europe.
During that crisis, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe González Morales, stated that Greece’s suspension had “no legal basis in international human rights law.” He warned that “returning people without due process will inevitably result in cases of refoulement to situations where they may face the risk of death, torture, ill-treatment, persecution or other irreparable harm.
Human Rights Watch documented cases of Greek security forces working with unidentified armed men to detain, assault, rob and strip asylum seekers before forcing them back to Turkey. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in January 2025 that Greece had illegally deported a woman to Turkey in 2019, describing pushbacks as “systematic.
Rising Migration Numbers
Greece continues to be a key entry point to the EU for people escaping 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. The migrants mainly come from the Middle East and North Africa, including nationals from Sudan, Egypt and Bangladesh.
Greece has deployed two frigates near Libyan territorial waters and reinforced its coastguard vessels patrolling off Crete in a bid to stem the flow. A fishing trawler carrying 520 migrants from Libya intercepted south of Crete on Wednesday was redirected to the port of Lavrio, near Athens, so the migrants could be detained in a mainland facility.
Legal Challenges Expected
The suspension of asylum processing raises significant legal questions under both EU and international law. Article 18 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights grants the right to seek asylum, while Article 19 prohibits refoulement. Neither the 1951 Refugee Convention nor EU law provides a legal basis for suspending asylum applications.
While Article 78(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU allows for emergency measures in situations of sudden migrant influx, legal experts argue this cannot override fundamental rights obligations.
As Greece implements these controversial measures, the international community watches closely to see whether the suspension will withstand legal challenges and what impact it will have on desperate people seeking safety in Europe.
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