The migration bill was introduced to the Parliamentary Committee on Public Administration, Public Order and Justice, with Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris presenting his position. According to Minister Plevris, deportations since the implementation of the asylum suspension amendment and the submission of the illegal migration bill have exceeded 1,000, while he added that during the first 27 days of August, migrant flows to Crete decreased by 80% compared to the corresponding period in July.
Read: Plevris: Abolition of 7-year migrant legalization coming – Illegal stay to be criminalized (Video)
Furthermore, the Migration and Asylum Minister argued that these specific data should not cause complacency, but authorities must remain on alert “for potential new aggressive moves by human trafficking networks regarding increased flows.”
He subsequently presented the following data:
Since July 9, 2025, when the asylum suspension amendment took effect, we have the following statistics:
· During the first half of 2025, approximately 10,000 illegal migrants had arrived from Libya to Crete. From July 1 to 9, within just one week, arrivals reached 2,642, which is when the asylum suspension amendment was submitted
· from July 10 to the end of July, arrivals reached 913, and so far in August, arrivals are below 500. This means that in 45 days, half the number of migrants who arrived just in the first week of July illegally entered the country from Libya. Throughout August so far, as many migrants arrived illegally as arrived illegally in just one day in July
Regarding returns, he said they are the major challenge and goal of the bill, emphasizing that increasing them is a basic priority, as this is the area where the most progress needs to be made. “Towards this direction, from day one, I started bilateral contacts and a series of meetings with Ambassadors, international organizations, and all stakeholders involved in increasing returns,” he further emphasized.
Migration bill: Voting scheduled for Tuesday, September 2
He then highlighted the following:
• since the amendment’s implementation until August 15, 2025, voluntary and forced returns reached 808, with another 250 scheduled or implemented by the following week.
• additionally, 5 flights have been scheduled for the first 10 days of September to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt.
• with the bill’s submission, we are informed that applications for voluntary departures are increasing
• Our goal is to further increase returns through implementing the bill’s provisions
• Administrative court decisions that have been issued are only at the level of temporary injunctions and do not challenge but rather reject objections regarding detention and asylum suspension, simply requesting non-return until the hearing. Therefore, there is no decision ruling on the amendment’s legality.
It should be noted that the migration bill is expected to be voted on by the Parliament’s Plenary Session on Tuesday, September 2.
