“There will be absolutely no legalization process for individuals who are in the country illegally. Whatever options the State provided, it has already provided. The last opportunity was the law related to the three-year period; from now on there will be no other,” said the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, during the discussion of the provisions of the bill on legal migration, the residence and work permit procedure, and amendments to the Migration Code.

“You should know that anyone who is currently undocumented will remain undocumented; the procedure of arrest wherever they are found will be followed, imprisonment from two to five years, and their return. Also, because I want to speak with complete sincerity and honesty, we have included a provision whereby if a legal migrant assists a person who is illegally in the country, they will lose their legal status. The country will not allow any process by which undocumented migrants become legal. It will provide opportunities through bilateral agreements and for people who are already here and renew their permits so they can remain and work, but the only door into the country from now on for someone to work will be the legal one,” said Thanos Plevris.

The minister also responded to criticism regarding provisions that introduce an aggravating circumstance for members of NGOs registered in the Registry. “There is no issue of criminalizing participation in NGOs. Criminalization, to speak legally—and on the obvious we can agree—is illegal trafficking,” the minister insisted, adding:

“An NGO that tomorrow morning wants to carry out an activity and we do not give it funding—so it has its own resources and raises money—or is not part of our structures, does not fall under the strict provisions. Who falls under the strict provisions? NGO members who are convicted; therefore, there will be a criminal conviction and a judgment of criminal guilt—meaning they will be criminals. Why should there be an aggravating circumstance? Because these are the people who enter our structures and therefore have access in order to commit illegality, or who exploit an opportunity and receive money from the Greek State.”

“We are restricting who can register; we are introducing into the bill the exercise of criminal prosecution. Why are we doing this? Can someone who is an NGO member and against whom criminal prosecution has been brought for sexual abuse of minors be allowed to be in a structure where we have minors? You may tell me ‘presumption of innocence.’ In balancing the ‘presumption of innocence’ against the ‘risk to minors,’ I choose that if criminal prosecution has been initiated for a felony, they cannot be in the Registry. That specific person cannot be in the Registry—and I am not speaking theoretically,” said Mr. Plevris.