Greece has finally found the courage to stop the influx of illegal aliens. They just detained nearly 200 migrants who arrived after an asylum freeze imposed on claimants from North Africa.
"The illegal immigrants who entered from Libya in recent hours were arrested by the coast guard," migration minister Thanos Plevris said on X on last 19 July.
"They do not have the right to apply for asylum, they will not be taken to reception centers, but will be held in police custody until the process of their return is initiated," he added.
The 190 migrants arrived in three groups south of the island of Crete, the coastguard told AFP.
A fourth group of 11 people was found near the island of Agathonisi, opposite the Turkish coast.
State TV ERT reported one of them was injured and later died in hospital.
The move marks a further hardening of Greece's stance towards migrants under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right government, which has built a fence at its northern land borders and boosted sea patrols since it came to power in 2019.
Greece is experiencing a rise in migrant arrivals from Libya, mainly landing in Crete, the home island of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Over 2,000 people have landed just in July, sparking anger among local officials and tourism operators who have put pressure on the conservative government to take action to stop the flows.
The government has declared a three-month suspension on asylum requests from any persons arriving by sea from North Africa.
The Greek migration ministry has also prepared legislation enabling migrant detention for up to two years for illegal entry, and up to five years if subsequently caught staying in Greece illegally.
"Somebody entering my country illegally must understand, they are entering a regime of surveillance, not hospitality,' Plevris told Open TV.
"I am a fan of deterrents... we are not a hotel," said the minister, who has called the migrant influx an 'invasion'.
Earlier this month, dozens of migrants were seen in shocking footage leaping off a boat and running onto a beach in front of tourists on a Greek holiday island.
In one clip, recorded at Diskos beach in the south of Crete, a group of asylum seekers were seen crammed in to a small boat as it bobbed near the shoreline.
The concerning levels of sea arrivals prompted a visit by Greece's foreign minister George Gerapetritis to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar this month.