Greek authorities arrested 247 illegal migrants over the weekend following a decisive move by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government to suspend all asylum requests from North African arrivals. The arrests were made in five separate incidents near the islands of Gavdos and Crete, where boats attempting to reach Greek soil from Libya were intercepted by the Hellenic Coast Guard, according to public broadcaster ERT.
The migrants will be placed in closed detention centers and ultimately deported, as Greece tightens its immigration policies amid a surge in boat landings. “The message is clear,” said Minister of Migration and Asylum Thanos Plevris. “We do not accept their asylum applications. We arrest them, place them in detention, and initiate the process of their return.”
So far in 2025, over 7,000 migrants have arrived on Greek islands via the Mediterranean from North Africa — nearly four times the number recorded during the same period last year. In response, the government announced a three-month suspension of asylum claims for those arriving illegally by sea from North Africa.
“Greece is not a gateway to Europe open to everyone,” said Mitsotakis, defending what he called a “difficult but absolutely necessary decision.” The conservative government aims to prevent abuse of the asylum system and discourage traffickers who profit from illegal crossings.
Greece is also preparing new legislation that would impose up to three years in prison for illegal migrants who refuse to leave the country. The proposed law will also block any path to legal residency for those who entered illegally, including those who submit asylum claims after crossing the border.
This policy shift adds to the government’s previous moves to secure the nation’s borders, including constructing a 25-mile wall along the land frontier with Turkey to stop illegal crossings from the Middle East.
