Illegal immigrants who were involved in riots last week in an area of Limassol were deported today by the Cyprus, with express procedures initiated by the Ministry of Justice and the State Ministry of Immigration and International Protection.

Relevant sources told the Cyprus News Agency that this action is part of the strict immigration policy now being pursued by the Cypriot government. They noted that the Republic of Cyprus is taking and will continue to take strict measures in case foreigners, who have either applied for or been granted international protection status, commit criminal offences or display offending behaviour.

Over 3,600 Syrians have left Cyprus since 9 December 2024, while a total of over 8,000 third country nationals have been repatriated since January 2025 to date.

In 2024 a total of 10,092 third country nationals were repatriated and in 2023 a total of 9,193. Last week, 5 unaccompanied minors who were involved in incidents and thefts in Larnaca were also returned to Syria.

The Cypriot government gives foreigners with offending behaviour the option of returning to their country if they do not want to be imprisoned and deported after serving their sentence.

A large number of Syrians have been living in Cyprus for many years and many of them have joined or formed organized crime groups. The civil war in Syria has so far prevented their deportation, but in the last year many have chosen to repatriate to avoid criminal repercussions. Among the Syrians, individuals have been identified as having been involved in terrorist organizations.