The number of illegal immigrants entering Greece from 2015 (874,735) to 2019 (92,838), with only 27,396 illegal immigrants in camps today, demonstrates a massive reduction, greekcitytimes.com reports
The government did not specify what happened to the illegals who left the camp, so it is significant to point out that there are two ways of officially leaving the camps:
1) Getting the Asylum visa
2) Getting deported
Given the current political structure in Greece and its government, it’s far more likely that the illegal immigrants who left the camps did not leave Greece at all and instead received their visas.
From there, many left for Germany or other European countries but many still stayed in the country.
After the critical period of March 2020, Greece strengthened the protection of its borders, whether by sea or land, with Turkey.
This has resulted in both a reduction in migration flows and arrivals and better management of situations, especially at sea, in order to protect as much as possible the lives of people trying to cross the Aegean, starting with Turkey.
It is indicative that in 2020, migration flows decreased by 79.5%, while in 2021 they decreased by an additional 41.1%.
In the first quarter of 2022 (as of March 31), only 1,907 migrants had entered the country from the land or sea border with Turkey.
It is indicative that at the start of the great immigration crisis, in 2015, 874,735 immigrants had entered the country, a huge number in proportion to the current data.
At the same time, the expansion of the list of “safe countries” in the last three years has brought several returns of immigrants to their homelands, with the result that the number of residents is drastically reduced.
It is noted that in relation to December 31, 2019, reductions of more than 70% are recorded.
At the same time, the enhanced surveillance of the maritime borders implemented by the Greek authorities undoubtedly contributed to the better protection of the lives of migrants.
In more than 1,500 cases handled by the Greek authorities at sea during the critical period from March 2020 until today, minimal loss of life of third-country nationals has been recorded, in contrast to the other migration corridors / other migration routes of the Central and Western Mediterranean.
The data for 2021 and the comparison of the numbers are the biggest proof of the way in which the Greek authorities manage the delicate balances, the difficult situations, and above all the human life with the required respect.
In the Eastern Mediterranean, the area where the Greek authorities are essentially called to be active in immigration, only 111 deaths were recorded, which translates to 5%.
By contrast, in the Western Mediterranean, the figure rises to 19% (384 deaths), while in the Central Mediterranean it rises to 76% with 1,553 deaths of third-country nationals attempting to enter Europe by sea.
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