The actual data reflecting the decline in migration flows, along with the simultaneous increase in asylum revocations and the return of illegal immigrants, was presented to the Plenary Session of Parliament by Thanos Plevris.

The Minister for Migration and Asylum stated that, from 2019 to the present, illegal migration flows have fallen to 197,651 people, whereas between 2015 and 2019 they had surged to 1,215,280.

“In 2025, we have seen a 25% reduction in flows at the maritime border as a result of the measures we have recently adopted, which have had a deterrent effect. In the first five months of 2026, the total reduction in flows stands at 36%, while on the Aegean islands the reduction reaches 65%,” the minister said, adding that the only part of the country still under migratory pressure is Crete. He clarified, however, that “to put the situation in perspective, the flows in Crete amount to 5,500 people.”

In addition, Plevris noted that in 2019 the New Democracy government inherited 140,000 pending asylum applications, whereas today the number has been reduced to 28,000. At the same time, he said that under SYRIZA more than 70% of asylum applications were granted, while today the recognition rate has fallen to 40.7%.

He also stated that in the first half of 2026 alone, 1,256 asylum revocations were carried out, compared with fewer than 100 in the 2015–2019 period.

However, the minister acknowledged that the government’s major challenge is increasing return rates. He said that the recently passed law introducing the “jail or return” policy also aims to address this issue.

“Since the ‘jail or return’ law was passed, we have seen a 25% increase in voluntary departures. There were 850 such departures before the law, rising to 2,500 by the end of 2025. In 2026, we already have 1,200 voluntary return applications,” he said.