3 out of 4 ‘refugees’ in Greece in past 2 months are economic migrants, data shows

1,950 people entered Greece illegally in July and August

Three out of four ‘refugees’ entering Greece from the Turkish coasts are actually economic migrants, according to Greek newspaper Eleftheros Typos. The newspaper cites a Greek border control officer who said there was great difficulty in determining the nationalities of those landing on Greek islands. ‘Only one in four is a refugee and two out of four fit the refugee profile’, he told the Greek newspaper. Data from the Greek coast guard confirmed this finding, as it revealed that only 500 people were from Syria out of the total 1,950 that entered Greece illegally in July and August. Once the economic migrants arrive on Greek soil they are clearly aware of their rights and immediately request asylum, the report claims. According to the refugee deal between Turkey and the EU, Turkey has the right to immediately relocate Syrian refugees to EU countries, a procedure that becomes much more complicated when it concerns economic migrants.