Hundreds of Migrants Transferred from Crete to Greek Mainland Amid Surge in Mediterranean Crossings

On Thursday, over 500 migrants, primarily young men, arrived at the port of Lavrio near Athens after being rescued south of Crete.

The group was intercepted by Greek authorities and transported overnight on a bulk carrier, with service vessels assisting their transfer to the mainland. They will be held in detention facilities near Athens.

The transfer was prompted by overwhelmed reception centers on Crete, which have seen around 500 daily arrivals since the weekend. In response to the surge in crossings from Libya, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a three-month suspension of asylum processing for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa. Speaking in Parliament, he outlined plans for a new detention facility on Crete and enhanced cooperation between Greek and Libyan coast guards to intercept boats.

“This emergency demands urgent measures,” Mitsotakis said, emphasizing that illegal entrants will be detained and signaling to human traffickers that “the route to Greece is closing.”

The decision comes amid strained EU-Libya relations, with EU officials recently turned away from eastern Libya over migration talk disputes. Crete’s authorities are struggling to provide basic services, housing migrants from Somalia, Sudan, Egypt, and Morocco in temporary facilities. [AP]