Greek Minister for Immigration Policy Ioannis Mouzalas estimated 50 per cent of the people that arrived on the eastern Aegean islands were illegal immigrants. Responding to a question submitted in parliament by a communist party deputy, Mouzalas admitted that the situation in specific hotspots on the islands were ‘explosive’, as the expectations and patience of the 8,000 refugees hosted in the reception centres were waning. “A sense of haplessness has set upon the refugees and they are becoming more demanding’, he said. The Minister added that there were small ‘mafias’ operating around the hotspots , while he added that any illegal immigrants would not be granted the asylum status and would be returned to Turkey.