Overview
- The draft law, submitted July 17, would impose a minimum three-year prison sentence on migrants found staying illegally who refuse voluntary departure.
- Sentences could only be suspended or lifted if migrants agree to return home voluntarily, eliminating other paths to release.
- Since July 11, authorities have also halted sea-arrival asylum applications for three months and extended maximum detention to 18 months.
- The Migration Ministry describes the measures as essential to balancing human rights protection with rule of law, social cohesion and national security.
- Humanitarian groups and EU officials warn the policies risk breaching EU asylum law and heighten tensions over burden sharing as reception camps become overcrowded.