Greece has enacted stringent legislation that could see rejected asylum seekers face prison sentences of two to five years if they fail to leave the country within 14 days. The law, passed by the centre-right government, also introduces fines of €10,000 for illegal entry and extends detention for undocumented arrivals from 18 to 24 months. Migration Minister Thanos Plevris stated, 'The message is clear: if your asylum request is rejected, you have two choices. Either you go to jail or return to your homeland.'
The measures come amid a surge in migrant arrivals, particularly on the islands of Crete and Gavdos from Libya. In early July, over 2,000 people made the crossing, a significant increase after years of declining numbers since the 2015 refugee crisis. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had earlier announced a 90-day pause on asylum applications, which human rights groups condemned as a violation of international law.
The legislation has drawn widespread criticism. Judges have unusually spoken out against its repressive focus, while former migration minister Dimitris Kairidis stressed the need for legal migration pathways to address labour shortages. Migrant solidarity workers called the law racist and contradictory, given Greece's demographic crisis that recently led to the closure of over 750 schools due to a lack of pupils.
Lefteris Papagiannakis, director of the Greek Council for Refugees, said, 'It's so contradictory that this should be passed when Greece's population is in such freefall, and when migrants offer the solution to labour shortages.' He accused Mitsotakis of trying to appeal to the far right with the 'openly racist law.'
