Overview

• More than 2,000 migrants landed on Crete since the weekend, pushing the island’s arrivals to over 10,000 this year.
• The sudden influx has overwhelmed Crete and nearby Gavdos, which lack organized reception camps and adequate temporary housing.
• Migrants who enter Greece illegally will be arrested and detained, and 520 individuals from an intercepted fishing trawler were rerouted to Lavrio for mainland confinement.
• A new detention facility on Crete is planned to expand capacity beyond existing mainland centers.
• Athens is seeking direct cooperation with the Libyan coast guard to intercept and turn back migrant boats leaving Libyan waters.