Greece Suspends Asylum and Sends a Message to Europe: Enough
As migrant boats flood Crete’s coast, the Greek government makes its move: no more asylum, no more open door.
As of 27 July 2025, a total of 22,867 migrants have landed on Greek shores by sea — and Crete is taking the brunt of it, accounting for more than 4 in 10 arrivals.
This isn’t a seasonal blip.
This is a system buckling under the weight of mass illegal entry.
In response, the Greek government has now suspended all asylum claims for three months. Anyone arriving irregularly from North Africa is being detained without the right to request protection. No interviews. No case reviews. No legal limbo.
The message is simple:
If you come illegally, you won’t stay.
A quiet tourist island overwhelmed
The southern island of Crete — best known for beaches and summer getaways — is now Europe’s new frontline.
With over 10,600 migrants arriving there so far in 2025 (around 42% of all arrivals), Greece’s parliament voted 177 to 74 to shut the door, at least temporarily.
The migrants are coming by boat from Libya, most originating from:
Afghanistan (30%)
Egypt (23%)
Sudan (14%)
Bangladesh (8%)
Eritrea (4%)
These are mostly young men making dangerous, illegal crossings, pushed on by traffickers and false promises.
On 09 July, 1,599 people arrived by sea across Greece alone.
“Greece is not an open transit route”
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis defended the policy:
“We made the difficult but absolutely necessary decision to temporarily suspend the asylum application process for those arriving by sea from North African countries. This sends an unmistakable message to trafficking networks: Greece is not an open transit route. The journey is dangerous, the outcome uncertain, and the money paid to smugglers is ultimately wasted. Illegal entry will not lead to legal residence..”
He says it’s about sending a clear message — to both traffickers and would-be migrants:
The era of soft borders is over.
Migration Minister Thanos Plevris called the situation a state of emergency, warning of an “invasion” if other European countries don’t get a grip.
They’ve now:
Suspended all asylum claims from irregular arrivals by sea
Deployed naval patrols near Libya
Planned new closed camps on Crete and the mainland
Initiated talks with Libya for joint enforcement
Camps are full. Tempers are rising.
What does all this look like in practice?
On the ground in Crete, migrants are being held in disused tourist exhibition centres and then moved to high-security camps like Amygdaleza, a fenced complex outside Athens, where reports suggest detainees are walking barefoot on scorched ground, with no idea what comes next.
But for many Greeks, this isn’t cruelty — it’s reality. The system can’t cope. The boats keep coming. And something had to give.
“Unlawful”? Maybe. Necessary? Definitely.
Human rights groups are furious.
The Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner said the suspension:
“Legalises returning people to face a risk of torture and other serious violations.”
But Greece is invoking Article 15 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which allows temporary suspension of certain rights “in time of war or public emergency threatening the life of the nation.”
Other countries are doing the same:
Poland suspended asylum earlier this year
France, Belgium, and Germany are tightening controls
What’s new is that Greece is saying it out loud — and acting on it fast.
The lesson for Britain?
So far, 25,436 people have landed in Britain on small boats in 2025 (up to 30 July) - an increase of 51% on the same period last year. And unlike Greece, the UK is still tangled in legal rows and policy fudge, while the boats keep coming.
Greece has made a hard choice.
The UK, by contrast, keeps talking about deterrence while failing to deliver it.
Let’s be blunt:
Greece is now detaining and returning illegal arrivals
Britain is housing them in hotels
And while Greece is being accused of breaching EU norms, it’s doing something to try and stop the boats, not just saying it on slogans.
Final thought
This is more than a Greek story. It’s a glimpse of where the rest of Europe may be heading — and a wake-up call to countries still stuck in denial.
Because when even an EU country says, “we can’t do this anymore” — and acts on it — you have to ask:
What are we waiting for?