One month has passed today since the day the amendment to suspend the granting of asylum in order to address the emergency needs caused by the increased migratory flows from Libya was passed.

Indicative of the situation that forced the government to take action is the fact that the first week of July saw a peak in flows from Libya to Crete, reaching 2,711 illegal arrivals in just one week, of which 900 in just one day.

However, during the 30 days following the adoption of the amendment there was a radical change of scenery as, according to reports, a total of 913 people entered illegally from Libya in this month, i.e. those who entered in one day before the adoption of the amendment entered in a whole month after its adoption.

It should be noted that at least half of these 30 days, there was a lack of wind and ideal conditions for travel, while the main flow of 913 people was observed in the first few days when Greece’s tough stance was not known.

As government officials noted, the result of the reduction in the flows was the clear message conveyed to the migrants in Libya that their asylum was suspended and they are no longer guests in the structures but in detention, while diplomacy with eastern Libya played an important role.

According to the same sources, in the last 10 days zero flows from Libya have been recorded, while today in Crete there are no illegal immigrants and all 913 who entered are in the PROKEKA or in closed structures of the Ministry of Immigration in detention, while deportation acts have been issued for all of them.

Officials of the Ministry of Migration Policy made it clear that “obviously there is no complacency as the smuggling circuits often adjust their strategy and we must be ready for a new possible aggressive move but in the first month of implementation of the measure it is proven that the suspension of asylum was imperative and Greece has proven that it knows how to react against the circuits and take drastic measures when necessary, as in 2020 in Evros.”