The latest political crisis in Greece overnight involved a circular, issued by a top police official, signaling the closure of migrant detention centres and instituting a previous procedure by which non-nationals caught sneaking into the country are first arrested, then promptly released and given a month to leave Greece.

If the individual — alternately described by world’s media as an illegal immigrant/migrant, illegal alien, irregular migrant, migrant, immigrant, undocumented migrant, refugee, would-be asylum seeker etc — does not leave the country within a month, he or she is given another six months to depart, the circular states!

The development generated an angry reaction by the government, with Deputy Minister of Citizen Protection Yiannis Panoussis, the overall Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis, and government spokesman Gavriil Sakelarridis on Wednesday morning, saying the circular does not reflect the new government’s policy. They also charged that the police official composed and disseminated the circular without his political superiors’ knowledge.

According to the circular, migrants not charged with other crimes, sans entering the country illegally, will be released.

At the same time, anyone sneaking into Greece via the land borders or sea routes will be “recorded” and given an deportation notice allowing a stay of up to one month. However, in case they are leave for another part of the country, they will be given an extra six months until they find a way to leave Greece. Most illegal migrants managing to enter Greece want to continue to other west European destinations, something that Greek authorities cannot allow, by law, and which would not be accepted by border authorities in those countries.

The initial report was confirmed by the president of the Federation of Border Guards, Panagiotis Harelas, without however, specifying as to when the new procedure will be enforced.

In an immediate late-night reaction, the government issued a statement wondering if the claims were a “figment of sick imagination or manufactured scripts to terrorize citizens?”

Yiannis Panoussis also denied that the government has changed policy.