Greece’s parliament on Wednesday (September 3) passed new legislation that dramatically increases penalties for rejected asylum seekers, making the country’s approach among the strictest in Europe. The law introduces prison sentences, fines, electronic ankle monitors, and longer detention for undocumented migrants.

According to The New York Times, asylum seekers whose claims are denied now have 14 days to leave Greece. Those who overstay face prison terms of two to five years, while fines for illegal entry rise to 10,000 euros and up to 30,000 euros for re-entry after rejection. The law also abolishes the possibility of obtaining residence after seven years in the country and extends the maximum detention for irregular arrivals from 18 to 24 months.

Migration Minister Thanos Plevris told parliament ahead of the vote that the message is "clear" for migrants: "If your asylum request is rejected, you have two choices. Either you go to jail or return to your homeland. The Greek state does not accept you … You are not welcome." In closing remarks, he added, "the Greek state does not accept you. You only have one choice: to go back. You’re not welcome."

Plevris also defended the measures in an interview with The Guardian, saying: "We are accountable to Greek citizens, and Greek citizens want to be protected." He emphasized that those who qualify for international protection would continue to receive asylum.

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Borders 'effectively closed'

The legislation follows Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s suspension of asylum applications in July after more than 2,000 people landed on Crete in a single week, three times the figure from the same period in 2024. Mitsotakis said the suspension was meant to warn smugglers that Greece’s borders were effectively closed, The New York Times reported.

The new law drew swift backlash. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned it could punish people still entitled to protection and urged Athens to speed up asylum decisions to separate refugees from other migrants.

Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told The New York Times: “The trend seems to be to carry out stricter policies toward refugees and migrants arriving by sea. But as a matter of fact, we do not see any kind of emergency in terms of numbers of people trying to enter in Europe.”

In Greece, judges criticized the legislation’s heavy emphasis on repression. Former migration minister Dimitris Kairidis told The Guardian that while deterrence remained essential, Greece also needed to expand legal migration to address labor shortages. During his tenure, he legalized 30,000 undocumented workers in agriculture, construction, and tourism. “Greece needs both to counter illegal, but also encourage legal, migration as needed by its growing economy,” he said.

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Contradictory policies

Civil society groups condemned the measures as both racist and counterproductive. Lefteris Papagiannakis, director of the Greek Council for Refugees, told The Guardian: “It's so contradictory that this should be passed when Greece’s population is in such freefall, and when migrants offer the solution to labor shortages. Mitsotakis has managed to hold the center ground. With this openly racist law, he is clearly trying to enlarge his voter pool by appealing to the far right."

Critics also questioned whether the measures were enforceable given Greece’s overcrowded prisons. Human rights groups have long accused Athens of carrying out illegal pushbacks at sea and on land, allegations the government denies. The EU border agency Frontex is reviewing several possible violations involving Greece.

Despite opposition, Plevris told parliament he was proud to have overseen the legislation, insisting it put Greece "at the forefront of policies that few EU members have wanted to enforce."

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With Reuters