In a significant operation, the Greek Coast Guard detained 124 migrants on January 8, after spotting speedboats without identification markers off the coast of Karpathos, an island in the eastern Aegean Sea.
The arrests were made in two separate locations: 58 migrants were captured near the island’s main port, while another 66 were taken into custody at a more remote spot to the north.
One of the detained migrants, a 24-year-old man, was found carrying forged identification papers. While the Coast Guard has provided few details about the migrants, the incident highlights the ongoing challenges Greece faces as part of a larger migrant route in the Eastern Mediterranean.
This event follows a tragic incident in late December, when a speedboat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Rhodes, resulting in eight deaths. The Coast Guard explained that the boat capsized while attempting dangerous evasive maneuvers to evade a patrol ship, causing the migrants aboard to fall into the sea.
While the Greek authorities continue to clamp down on illegal migration, the country is also facing increasing scrutiny over its treatment of migrants. On the very same day as the arrests, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Greece had illegally deported a woman back to Turkey without assessing the potential risks she would face in her home country.
The ECHR slammed Greece for its “systematic” pushbacks of migrants, effectively denying them their right to asylum. As a result, Greece has been ordered to pay €20,000 in damages to the deported woman. This ruling is significant and could have long-term effects on how European countries handle migrants at their borders, especially as Greece and other EU members call for stricter immigration policies.
Despite this legal setback, the Greek National Transparency Authority, which investigates corruption and human rights violations, found no evidence of illegal deportations in a 2022 investigation, further complicating the narrative surrounding Greece’s border control practices.
In addition to these legal issues, Greece is facing a surge in migrant arrivals. Data from 2024 reveals a 50% increase in illegal entries, with most migrants claiming to have come from war-torn Syria. As the EU grapples with the growing migration crisis, Greece’s struggle to balance border security with human rights will undoubtedly remain a contentious issue on the European stage.
With increasing calls for tougher immigration policies, the situation in Greece is a reflection of the broader, ongoing debate about how Europe should handle migration and the preservation of national sovereignty amidst globalist pressures.
