“We will be the first European country with the strictest framework for illegal entry”
“We will be the first European country with the strictest framework for illegal entry. Anyone who is not entitled to asylum, the route will be a prison or a return, “said the Minister of Immigration and Asylum Thanos Plevris, who, speaking earlier today in Parliament, referred to the beam of measures to attempt to deal with increased flows. Mr Plevris had to answer two topical questions, one of “Niki” President Dimitris Natsiou and one by the Parliamentary Spokesman for Alexander Kazami Freedom on the issue, inspired by diametrically opposing philosophies. Mr Natsios accused the government of loose policy that leads to Europe’s Islamization and turning Greece into the first “Islamic Emirates of Europe”, and Mr Kazamias accused the Minister of Migration and Asylum of envisioning “to turn Crete”.
The recent amendment to suspend asylum applications was also found at the peak of criticism, for which the Minister of Immigration and Asylum said he was already working out because flows in Crete have been reduced. Although he acknowledged that in the recession of the phenomenon, the weather also played a role, Mr Plevris emphasized that both by voting on the amendment and with the forthcoming bill it has been sent the message that anyone who enters the country without having this right will either return from where he came from. “Since last Wednesday, since the amendment is adopted, there is no entrance to Crete. No entrance. This may be due to many factors, both the issue of the weather and the issue of diplomacy we do and the issue of the amendment, “the Minister of Immigration and Asylum said.
“Victory” President Dimitris Natsios described the border storage measures as “invasion of illegal immigrants”, referred to “images of illegal immigrants who come to be stacked in the human beings of Europe, Greece,” Today, he thinks he is in Islamabad. The president of “Victory” said that an entire ministry is today, not in the service of the Greek people but of the illegally incoming immigrants and nowhere is there the concept of deterrence and border guarding, but concepts such as integration, solidarity, social integration, social integration, social integration, social integration Fervations, the ethnic nonsense. “
Dimitris Natsios called on the government to answer what the Navy’s involvement would be in the border surveillance, which he would act and what orders he has received, in the event of a vessel with illegal immigrants. Mr Natsios described the recent amendment to suspend asylum applications, “hypocritical half” and requested information on the applications submitted and those rejected, in 2025, how many “illegal immigrants” were included in the category of unaccompanied minors and unaccompanied minors. He also asked the government to inform how many immigrants were returned to Greece by European countries.
Greece kept its borders as it did in 2020 in Evros, as it is now, with the frigates and the Coast Guard, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum replied, and pointed out that the first half of the 2025 was 7% less flows, than in the first half of the first half, but the big problem was in the first half. “So, operational, the Navy and the Port Authority protect our borders,” the minister noted. According to data presented to Parliament, 27,425 asylum requests were submitted in the first half of 2025 (the data may include both November and December because they are first and second -degree requests). In the first half of 2025 there were rejection decisions, in the first degree, in 15,041 cases and in the second degree in 4,760 cases (they do not necessarily concern the same applications, but may also concern previous applications). “These evidence shows that the asylum service works very quickly,” the Minister of Immigration and Asylum said.
After the amendment has been voted on, Mr Plevris said, those who are now coming to the country illegally enter a detention status. “So we ensure that they do not go to Patisia, Saint Panteleimon and Acharnes. They will enter a closed structure, without asylum right and return. Immediate process. And we will try to achieve returns. So with the amendment we voted on, we bypass a whole process, which would have had these illegally entering the country, in freedom, because they would have applied for asylum. We now have the opportunity to have them in 12 months in detention and to make the return procedures immediately. “
In relation to returns from other European countries to Greece, the minister informed that in the first half of 2025 there were 26 people in total. In relation to vulnerability, out of about 27,000 applications, 1,323 involved unaccompanied minors and another 4,816 applications were other vulnerabilities.
The president of “Niki” emphasized the need to look for the big boats that carry the inflatables and then leave them close to Crete so that the authorities can then be collected. “If this is the case, we have to find these boats in the high seas and stop them. And if we cannot, we seek help from Europe, “Mr Natsios said, noting that these vessels are easily detected through technology. We need to find out who these vessels are wasting, the president of Niki said to note: “You know we have a hybrid war from Turkey. These are the issues you need to solve Mr. Plevris and not be in the menu in the host structures. ” He also described the role of the NGOs, which were funded “to accompany illegal immigrants”, called for their control, restriction of their action, and together requested the abolition of the PD that allowed, as he said, the creation of up to 100 people in the under 2,000 settlements.
Prison or return
The Minister of Immigration and Asylum responded to Mr Natsu’s criticism and estimates that the flows will continue, because the government is motivated. The government has raised the issue in Europe since 2019. “Today, we have a Europe that listens to us and are justified by the positions of Greece, which the prime minister has put in 2019,” Thanos Plevris said, referring to the bill that was consulted yesterday. “It is an independent criminal offense, anyone who refuses to return, while illegally entered the country. He will have a prison sentence without suspension, no payment and so his journey will be a prison or return. Isn’t that serious disincentive? When he knows that he is in prison, up to five years, and the only opportunity, for the dismissal, will be the cooperation to leave is a serious deterrent factor, “the minister said, noting that a serious disincentive would be the administrative detention, up to two years, for those who are in Greek. With administrative detention we ensure that the citizens of Athens and other areas will not have this world, Mr Plevris said and stressed that it is also a disadvantage that anyone who enters the Greek territory will know that there is no process of becoming legal. It is a serious disincentive that we will re -evacuate all the benefits given, the minister noted and informed the “Niki” president that a management audit has been ordered to all the NGOs with which the ministry has worked with. At the same time, as he pointed out, the bill, which is submitted to the Parliament, also introduces electronic surveillance so that someone who is under semi -liberty or freedom is identified when his application is rejected. “All of these actions are compatible with the European context,” the minister said.
Prison or return
Referring to the crucial issue of returns, the Minister of Migration and Asylum pointed out that forced returns require cooperation with third countries and “at this time, with some countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, we work together, but the reality is that the process of forced returns”. Greece will seek to reach even more agreements, while the bill submitted is extended to the map of safe countries and thus restriction of the ability to apply for asylum from people who come from war zones but have previously passed through countries that are safe, Mr Pelis said.
“Because forced returns have a lot of difficulties,” the minister said, “but the voluntary returns must be strengthened and this will happen when he who illegally enters the country knows that he will lose his benefits and, above all, his freedom.” The first to be sentenced to three, four years and led to prison will be offered a ticket. “We will say to him,” Do you want to go to prison without suspension or to return voluntarily? “,” The minister said, stressing that “by order of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, we will not tolerate the country to be a vineyard, we will be the first European country to have the most rigorous framework. But whoever is not entitled to, the route will be a prison or a return. “