Greece has launched a sweeping crackdown on illegal migration from North Africa, detaining 247 migrants intercepted at sea and vowing to jail future arrivals as part of a sweeping overhaul of its asylum and border policies.

At 10 a.m. on Sunday, a Coast Guard vessel carrying the migrants — apprehended off the coast of Crete and Gavdos — docked at Lavrio, where the individuals were handed over to police and transferred directly to detention facilities.

One person among the group reportedly died in hospital after suffering injuries during the crossing, according to public broadcaster ERT.

🇬🇷 Greek authorities arrested 247 illegal migrants who arrived from Libya in small boats on Sunday.

This follows a government decree that saw all asylum requests from North Africa suspended for at least three months.

"They do not have the right to apply for asylum, and they… pic.twitter.com/HP52NOu1bD

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) July 20, 2025

In a statement posted on X, Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris declared that the group “do not have the right to apply for asylum and they will not be taken to reception centers.” Instead, he said they would be held in custody until deportation procedures are initiated. “We arrest them, put them in detention in closed structures, we start the process of their return,” Plevris said. “The message is clear.”

Οι 247 που εισήλθαν παράνομα συνελήφθησαν και ήδη οδηγούνται από την αστυνομία σε δομές κράτησης. Αντιστοίχως σε στενή συνεργασία με το λιμενικό και την αστυνομία μετατρέπουμε δομές του υπουργείου μετανάστευσης σε κλειστές δομές κράτησης για να οδηγηθούν σε καθεστώς εγκλεισμού…

— Θάνος Πλεύρης (@thanosplevris) July 20, 2025

Earlier this month, the Greek government suspended asylum application processing for all migrants arriving by sea from North Africa for the next three months. The decision, which mirrors emergency measures invoked in March 2020 during a similar crisis, was announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a speech to parliament.

“The path to Greece is closing,” Mitsotakis said. “It sends this message to all traffickers and all their potential customers, that the money they spend may well be entirely wasted.”

He described the recent influx — more than 2,000 people intercepted in just a few days — as a “surge” that required immediate and decisive action. “These are events that clearly highlight the European dimension of the problem. Soon, there will also be a reaction from Brussels,” he added.

Greek prime minister suspends asylum applications from North Africa and vows tougher border measures amid surge in migrant arrivals

The new legislation goes even further. The Ministry of Migration has confirmed that migrants who refuse to leave voluntarily will face prison sentences of at least two years, and repeat offenders could face up to five years behind bars. Additional police facilities have already been converted into closed detention centers to accommodate the new policy.

Greek officials say the government’s stance is clear: illegal entry will no longer lead to processing in reception centers or access to asylum procedures. The measures aim to deter both traffickers and would-be migrants by removing incentives and tightening legal consequences.

Mitsotakis said a formal notification had been sent to the European Commission.