Athens – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has unveiled two major clampdown measures on illegal migration, targeting the surge of arrivals from North Africa to the island of Crete. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, he declared a three-month suspension of asylum reviews for those landing by boat — a move designed to halt the influx “by any means necessary.”
“There will be arrests and detentions,” Mitsotakis warned, leaving no room for ambiguity.
The PM also dropped a second bombshell: the government will establish a closed facility in Crete to hold undocumented migrants. No more temporary shelters — this one’s sealed tight.
The dramatic announcement follows a strategic huddle with Migration Minister Thanos Plevris, sparked by recent developments in Libya. Sources close to the matter say the real turning point came Tuesday night, when Khalifa Haftar expelled a European mission from Benghazi, prompting Athens to ditch the velvet glove for an iron fist.
Mitsotakis doubled down in his address, comparing the current wave to the Evros border crisis in 2020, where Greece famously shut its northeastern border to thousands trying to enter from Turkey. He framed the new measures as a “temporary reaction,” but one grounded in “national security and legal order.”
Political analysts smell double duty in the PM’s play. On one hand, it’s a tough stand to regain right-wing votersdisillusioned since 2020. On the other, it’s a risky gamble in a country already battle-weary from economic strain and successive crises.
While critics fear yet another chapter in Greece’s long refugee saga, government officials are steaming ahead. A key meeting on Friday — including the regional governor of Crete, local mayors, and MPs — will hammer out the logistics for the detention facility, most likely near Iraklio.
Still, Mitsotakis struck a slightly softer note, leaving the door open for diplomacy. “Our dialogue with both Western and Eastern Libya continues,” he said. “But our response will be legal and very strict.”
