Greece passes tough new law to detain and fine failed asylum seekers

After a new surge in migrant arrivals,Greece has passed a law toughening its stance on failed asylum seekers. 

On Wednesday, parliament passed a law stipulating that undocumented migrants entering Greece from third countries deemed safe by the EU are not entitled to asylum. They will have to return home or be detained for two years and face fines of up to 10,000 euros.  

Speaking to parliament on Tuesday, Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said that the rights of Greeks who want to protect their country outweigh the rights of someone whose asylum was rejected and was staying in Greece illegally. 

The new law marks the latest move by the conservative government to crack down on migration. Since Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis came to power in 2019, Greece has built a fence at its northern borders and boosted sea patrols to deter migrants from attempting to enter the country.  

The Mediterranean nation was on the frontline of the 2015 migration crisis when more than a million people fleeing war and poverty crossed into Europe.  

Rights concerns

Migrant flows have since fallen. But an upswing in arrivals from Libya through the islands of Crete and Gavdos this year prompted the government to temporarily ban processing asylum applications of migrants coming from North Africa. 

The United Nations' refugee agency said the new law risked penalizing migrants in need of international protection. It suggested the introduction of fast-track asylum procedures could allow for the prompt identification of refugees and non-refugees and their respective administrative treatment.

Human rights groups have accused Athens of forcefully turning back asylum-seekers on its sea and land borders. This year, the European Union border agency Frontex said it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece.