Greece to tighten migration policy amid surge of arrivals on Crete

On 29 May 2026 the Greek government announced it will introduce tougher migration measures after more than 600 illegal migrants landed on Crete in a single day. Migration minister Thanos Plevris told parliament that, if the situation continues, the government will adopt “very strict measures” and aims to complete procedures and possible deportations within a few weeks.

The plan includes establishing guarded reception centres in the eastern ports of Hania and Iraklia, where migrants will stay while their status is assessed. The new EU migration and asylum pact, effective from 12 June, is intended to speed the distinction between those eligible for protection and those who are not. The current pressure comes from the Libya‑Crete route, with most arrivals now coming from Bangladesh and Egypt, described by the minister as “economic migrants”. Plevris also noted that more than half a million people are waiting in Libya to cross the Mediterranean.

These steps aim to avoid a repeat of the 2015‑2016 influx of thousands of migrants from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan that entered Europe via Turkey and the Balkan corridor.