Parliament is expected to vote today on the new migration control measures announced by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, following the significant rise in migration flows from Libya in recent days.
The parliamentary debate will begin at 10 a.m. with a motion on the amendment’s constitutionality filed by the party Plefsi Eleftherias, which, along with SYRIZA, KKE, and the New Left, has declared its opposition. PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis announced his party will vote “present.”
The Amendment: Immediate Deportation Without Asylum Application
The proposed regulation suspends the right to apply for asylum for individuals entering Greece illegally via any vessel from North Africa. These individuals will be immediately returned—without registration—to their country of origin or departure.
Plevris: Jail or Deportation for Illegal Migrants
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Minister of Migration Thanos Plevris announced plans to criminalize the continued presence of illegal migrants in Greece.
He also pledged to overhaul the benefits system for migrants and even revise the menus in migrant shelters, signaling the government’s hardline shift on migration policy. According to Plevris, the recent spike in arrivals from Libya has expedited these decisions.
“Those who remain in the country after their asylum application is rejected will be jailed. From now on, the path for illegal migrants is either prison or deportation,” Plevris said in Parliament. “Are you offended by the term ‘illegal migrant’? Refugees will still receive asylum. Currently, 52% of applicants qualify under the new criteria. The other 48% must leave.”
“Invasion from North Africa”
He described the situation in Crete as a migrant “invasion” from North Africa and Libya.
“In 2024, we had 4,000 arrivals from those areas. In just seven months of 2025, we already have 8,000. In the last few days alone, boats carrying 1,000 people have arrived. Greece must defend its borders. This is not acceptable,” he said, questioning whether Libya is incapable or unwilling to control the flows.
In response to left-wing parties calling for the amendment’s withdrawal on humanitarian grounds, Plevris stated:
“Your fake humanitarianism is best left to the so-called NGOs that milk EU funds and accuse Coast Guard officers. There is no altruism in NGOs profiting from migration.”
Legal Justification Based on 2020 Evros Precedent
He defended the amendment’s legal basis by referencing a similar measure passed in 2020 during the hybrid threat at the Evros border. That regulation was approved by both the European Commission and relevant courts.
“We informed the European Commission about this amendment. It complies with EU guidelines, with specific geographical and temporal limits,” he said.
He also rebutted PASOK leader Androulakis, who had said the measure is unnecessary, pointing out that without this amendment, response to surging migration would take eight months. The new rule ensures immediate detention and return.
Opposition: “Racist and Unconstitutional”
SYRIZA, KKE, New Left, and Plefsi Eleftherias condemned the amendment as unconstitutional and in violation of international law.
KKE’s Diamanto Manolakou called it a “shameful and arbitrary denial of asylum rights for displaced people.” SYRIZA’s Giorgos Psychogios labeled it “illegal and disgraceful.”
Sia Anagnostopoulou from the New Left described the measure as “shamefully racist,” while Plefsi leader Zoe Konstantopoulou filed a motion of unconstitutionality, calling it “a legal framework of racism.”
“You’ve turned us into Orban’s Hungary,” she said, accusing the government of abandoning human rights and invoking racist rhetoric that has fueled far-right resurgence. “Who’s invading us? If a state is attacking us, name it. Otherwise, you’re just promoting xenophobia.”
Plevris fired back:
“You were the Speaker of the Parliament of Moria. You’ve called Coast Guard officers criminals. Respect the presumption of innocence. This amendment builds on the precedent set during the Evros incident. Let’s drop the phony humanitarianism and focus on protecting the nation.”
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