More than 600 third country nationals were recorded as entering Greece over just the past 24-hour period, as the flows of irregular migrants and would-be asylum seekers disembarking from neighboring Turkey continues mostly unchecked in the eastern Aegean – even in the face of yet another set of prominent government measures and pledges to manage and even deflect the flows.
Some 400 people were picked by the Greek coast guard and Frontex units in sea regions ranging from the extreme northeast Aegean, to Lesvos (Mytilene) and adjacent Hios (Chios).
Another 222 people managed to reach Greek territory without any assistance, reaching Lesvos, Hios and Samos in six different incidents.
At the same time, 96 third country nationals were evacuated by ferry boat from the most congested islands to the mainland on Thursday morning for continuing housing at migrant shelters.
The migration/refugee crisis has emerged as the months-old Mitsotakis government’s “Achilles heel”, as public opinion appears mostly satisfied with other issues, such as economic performance and prospects. Promises of a “get tough” policy in the campaign period prior to the snap July 2019 election has given way to reality, namely, that smuggling networks operating in Turkey have not ceased operation, and that third country nationals ranging from sub-Saharan Africa to south Asia are not dissuaded from the fact that Greece’s borders with the rest of Europe are now mostly closed for illegal migration.
In a reply to tabled question in Parliament on Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to a “migration storm”, while adding that recently announced closed (guarded) pre-departure ‘hotspots’ are a necessity.
