New Greek law allows prison terms and fines for failed asylum seekers

03 September 2025 , 21:15

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Greece has enacted strict legislation that could result in rejected asylum seekers receiving prison sentences, fines, and orders to wear ankle monitors, as part of the center-right government’s ongoing efforts to discourage undocumented migrants from entering its territory.

The stringent penalties mark the beginning of an unprecedented era of zero tolerance for individuals who remain in the country after their asylum claims are denied. As a frontier state, long considered a gateway to Europe, Greece has experienced a surge in migrant arrivals this year.

“We are accountable to Greek citizens, and Greek citizens want to be protected,” the migration minister, Thanos Plevris, told MPs before the vote. “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.”

An outspoken right-winger whose stance has raised concerns among the more moderate members of Greece’s center-right government, Plevris insisted that asylum would continue to be granted to applicants who meet the criteria for international protection.

However, under the new law, asylum seekers whose claims are rejected and who do not leave the country within 14 days face prison terms of two to five years. Deterrence measures will also be strengthened: individuals who arrive without proper documentation will be detained for 24 months, up from the current 18 months, while unregulated migrants who have been in Greece for seven years will no longer have the right to legalize their status. Those found guilty of illegal entry will face a fine of €10,000.

The measures come just two months after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a controversial 90-day pause on asylum applications amid rising arrivals on the islands of Crete and Gavdos from Libya. In the first week of July, over 2,000 people successfully made the crossing – a significant increase in a country where migrant numbers have dropped dramatically since 2015, when more than 850,000 people arrived at the peak of the refugee crisis.

Mitsotakis insisted that the suspension aimed to send smuggling rings a strong message that “the passage to Greece is closed,” although it was criticized by human rights groups as a grave violation of international law.

In power since 2019, the government describes its migration policies as “tough but fair,” denying accusations of illegal pushbacks to keep asylum seekers away.

Addressing parliament, Plevris said he was proud to have overseen the legislation, which would position Greece at the forefront of policies that few EU members have been willing to enforce.

However, on Wednesday, the backlash was as immediate as it was widespread, with judges taking the rare step of criticizing the legislation’s focus on repression.

Highlighting the lack of consensus over the measures, Dimitris Kairidis, who stepped down as migration and asylum minister in 2024, told the Guardian that while deterrence remained critical, it was essential for Athens to also facilitate legal migration pathways at a time when labor shortages were severe.

“Greece needs both to combat illegal migration and to encourage legal migration as required by its growing economy,” he said.

During his tenure, Kairidis legalized the status of 30,000 unregistered migrant workers urgently needed in the agriculture, construction, and tourism sectors.

With Greece facing a demographic crisis that last week forced the education ministry to close more than 750 schools due to a lack of students, migrant solidarity workers called the law racist and illogical.

“It’s so contradictory that this should be passed when Greece’s population is in such decline, and when migrants offer a solution to labor shortages,” said the director of the Greek Council for Refugees, Lefteris Papagiannakis. “Mitsotakis has managed to maintain the center ground. With this openly racist law, he is clearly trying to expand his voter base by appealing to the far right.”