Nearly 200 third country nationals, identified as adult males from sub-Saharan Africa, reached the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos overnight in boats, having first disembarked from the opposite Turkish coast.
According to reports, the illegal migrants were previously hosted in closed camps in northwest Turkey, and were recently released by Turkish authorities, a prospect that has raised concerns on the other side of the Aegean of intensified waves of would-be migrants again landing on Greek and EU territory.
Other reports refer to thousands of third country nationals from several north and central African country having recently reached Turkey and waiting for an opportunity to illegally enter Greece — part of a bid to then reach preferred central and western European destinations for permanent residence.
A dispatch by Greece’s national news agency reported that people smugglers operating in Istanbul have recently stepped up activity across from Lesvos, charging 300 to 500 euros per person to smuggle them onto Greek territory.
Additionally, according to the same report, smugglers tell would-be Third World migrants that they can easily travel to the rest of Europe once in Greece, as long as they immediately request political asylum upon reaching Greek territory.
