The Greek government plans to establish two temporary migrant detention facilities on the island of Crete and implement fast-track deportation procedures for specific nationalities, aiming to stem a surge in arrivals from Libya.
Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris is expected to introduce an amendment authorizing the facilities near Chania and Heraklion before a parliamentary vote Thursday.
Mr. Plevris stated that migrants from Egypt, Bangladesh, and Pakistan—whom he described as "basically not entitled to asylum"—will face immediate detention to expedite their rejection and repatriation.
"Our goal is to put tremendous pressure on ethnic groups that are not entitled to asylum," Mr. Plevris said in response to a parliamentary question from independent lawmaker Evangelos Apostolakis.
Crete has increasingly become a landing point for the so-called "southern route," with tens of thousands of third-country nationals ferried from strife-torn Libya in recent years.
Mr. Plevris warned that if these high flows persist, the government will commission a permanent facility on the island, a project estimated to take two years to complete.
While taking a hard line on economic migrants, Mr. Plevris acknowledged the complexity regarding Sudanese nationals.
He noted that handling flows from Sudan requires a targeted approach, citing UN data that estimates up to 600,000 displaced Sudanese are currently in Libya, posing a significant challenge for European border security.