US EditionGreece detains 1,200 migrants in three days as arrivals from Libya surge
CRETE, GREECE, JUL 7 – Over 1,200 migrants were detained in three days on Crete and Gavdos as local facilities reached overcapacity, with 8,000 arrivals reported since the start of the year.
- Greek officials have apprehended upwards of 1,200 migrants on Crete and the nearby island of Gavdos over a three-day period in early July 2025, following a rise in arrivals from Libya.
- The increase in migrant arrivals occurred alongside talks involving Greece’s top diplomat traveling to Libya to discuss migration challenges and maritime border disagreements, while favorable weather conditions also contributed to the higher numbers.
- Crete faces overwhelmed makeshift facilities, migrants endure harsh conditions, and smugglers violently coerce payments before perilous sea journeys.
- Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis emphasized the importance of successful diplomatic initiatives and cautioned that more severe actions would be necessary if the situation deteriorates further.
- Local officials requested more support to address the humanitarian strain, while EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner plans to visit Libya with member states to push for tougher border controls.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Crete Overwhelmed: Migrant Arrivals Surge by 350%, Facilities at Breaking Point
Migrants are being transferred to the port of Heraklion. Credit: AMNA/Nikos Chalkiadakis Crete is grappling with an unprecedented influx of migrants, with nearly 2,000 people arriving on the island in the past 48 hours alone, pushing existing reception facilities beyond their capacity and leading to “unmanageable” and “inhumane” living conditions. Since the beginning of the year, over 9,000 migrants have reached Crete, marking a staggering incre…
The migrants were picked up by a cargo ship that transported them to the port of Chora Sfakion.
More and more migrants flock from East Libya to Crete. Greece wants to stop the new route. This requires the support of the EU. At the same time, Athens faces Turkish-Libyan demands in the South Aegean.
In Greece, migrant registration sites 'have shifted from a jungle model to a prison model'
'2015-2025: Europe's migration crisis' (4/5). 'Hotspots,' originally conceived as migrant registration sites, have gradually turned into closed detention centers, such as on the island of Samos, where asylum seekers now live in isolation.
Thousands of migrants come from Libya via the Mediterranean to Crete. The EU wants to prevent this.
93 percent of all irregular border crossings into the EU start in Libya. Now Brussels's man for migration is to find a solution. But competing Libyan governments have discovered migration as a political lever. Experts suspect a targeted tactic.
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