Greece claims “invasion” on Crete because it ceases asylum on medical routes

In the center of a stuffy hall, a row of men sat quietly, occupying nothing but waiting.

The sign of an ancient tourist fair behind them urges visitors to illustration “exploring the beauty of nature” on the bays and beaches of Crete.

But those who held at the former Ayia exhibition center did not come to the Greek island as vacationers. They are immigrants, risking a sea trip from Libya to the southern tip of Europe, and then being detained and denying their right to claim asylum.

From Crete, they are now being transferred to a closed facility on the mainland.

The right of anyone to claim protection or asylum is engraved in EU and international law and in the constitution of Greece itself. But the government has over-entangled the principle for at least the next three months in a hurry to implement and criticized by human rights lawyers earlier this month.

New immigration minister Thanos Plevris told the BBC that his country faces a “state of emergency.” He talked about the need for “invasion” and the need for powerful deterrence. “Anyone who comes will be detained and returned,” he stressed.

Now even the people who fled the Sudanese war are locked in, with no chance to explain their story.

Inside the old exhibition center, the guards warned the immigrants to speak to us. We were told: “They were detained.”

Greece is baking in the heat wave, and many men wear vests or strip their waists. There are some faucets around the edges, but no proper showers and only dirty blankets on the floor. The door piled up a box of donated clothes and toys still kept in the outrageous battle by the guards.

In two days, we have seen hundreds of immigrants in Egypt, including Egypt, Bangladesh and Yemen, as well as in Sudan.

There were about 20 teenage boys and two women sitting in the back.

But the facility was extended to its limit when 900 people landed from Libya one weekend earlier this month.

Between January and late June, more than 7,000 immigrants arrived in Crete, more than triple the amount in 2024.

During that period, the EU’s Frontex border agency recorded nearly 20,000 crossings in the eastern Mediterranean, while the Libya-Crete Corridor is now the main route.

After Italy reached a controversial agreement with Libya a few years ago, traffickers began to seriously send people to Crete, which allowed migrants to be stopped and returned at sea, despite extensive evidence of human rights violations.

In mid-July, the Athenian government took action.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament: “The road to Greece is being closed and all immigrants who enter the illegal will be arrested.

A few days later, Mustafa, a 20-year-old Mustafa, ran out of the war in Sudan – was detained.

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Starting from Ayia, he was transferred to a camp outside Athens, known as Amygdaleza, a row of gray prefabricated huts in a clean cleanup surrounded by tall fences and security cameras.

“We live here like a prison,” Mustafa told me when I managed to contact by phone. “They don’t allow us to move. We don’t have clothes or shoes. We’re in a very bad situation.”

The lawyer visiting Amygdaleza confirmed his account, describing the recent walking barefoot man walking in the baking hot soil and getting the least information. Typically, Sudanese citizens will receive asylum in Europe.

In a series of voices and texts, Mustafa tells the story of spending several months on the horrible conditions of Libya, waiting for his chance to pass. Then, he stayed at sea for two days, with 38 people huddled in a plastic boat that had to be rescued. “We didn’t manage to arrive [land] Because of the waves. ”

After the ordeal he survived, he was now afraid of being afraid of trying to return him.

“I left my country because of the war and I can’t go back,” Mustafa said. “I’m from Sudan because there’s war and I want protection. That’s why I’m here.”

“Now we don’t know what our destiny will be.”

The Greek immigration minister described himself as the “hard line” of immigration.

“It’s obvious that a country cannot accept the pressure of immigration and cannot respond.” Thanos Plevris defended the government’s new measures.

He claimed that Crete received “one, two, three thousand people per day” from Libya when it intervened, although he then scaled it to “nearly one thousand” within three days, which was challenged at the time.

Plevris has no doubts about the right to claim asylum, which shows that Sudanese refugees can simply stay in Libya.

“I want to be completely honest. We are trying to strike a balance between respecting their rights and respect for the Greek people,” the minister said firmly. “For the next three months, anyone entering Greek territory knew they had violated Greek laws.”

The European Commission said it is “investigating” the move.

A spokesman told the BBC that the situation was an “exception” as the surge in boat arrivals “has possible possible consequences in terms of European security”.

Poland also stopped asylum applications on its eastern border in March, despite various exceptions. Greece itself did this before when it arrived from Türkiye in 2020.

Certain obligations of the European Convention on Human Rights, which “threatening the lives of a state during wartime or other public emergencies”, can be covered.

Whether the current situation poses a serious threat to Poland or Greece.

“This article is for war or a large-scale uprising,” said lawyer Dimitris Fourakis.

He warned that the detention centers will be filled soon, as “sending immigrants back” is easy to say, but difficult to do.

“I think it’s a completely illegal decision. It’s a very important step, a very wrong step. I think they can stop it right away.”

The increase in boat arrivals is because Crete’s beaches and bars are full in the summer, and the immigration minister said protecting tourism is his top priority.

“I have never seen any immigrants.” Andreas Lougiakis, a restaurant owner in a beautiful village on the southern coast, admitted that the ships said most of the ships arrived at Gavdos on the island.

Even talking about their arrival is bad for the business.

“Of course, we feel bad for these people, but… people think this place is full of immigrants; there are no beaches, no place,” Andreas said. “We’re just worried about our business and our family.”

The suspension of asylum is part of a wider crackdown on irregular immigration here. The minister plans to imprison all those who fail to leave Greece when he refuses asylum requirements and uses electronic tags for surveillance.

He also promised a “severe review” of benefits.

Plevris claims that North Africa’s “millions” are expected to span Europe, and he believes other countries should thank him for their determination.

“You should know that if countries on EU borders don’t take tough measures, then all these immigration processes will point to your society,” he warned. “Greece once said, but then, no one listened.”

Every night, when the sky on Crete turns orange, the Coast Guard escorts a group of migrants to the port and heads to the night passenger ferry in Athens.

As arrivals climbed early this month, they struggled to find space on the boat.

The minister insists that the suspension of asylum is a temporary step, most likely only in the summer.

Now, strong winds rather than government determination seem to have slowed the flow of ships.

But the move has raised concerns about how the government can give up its fundamental rights in the name of security. This also left huge problems for people like Mustafa, who fled the war, who are now detained in Europe.