Migrants in Greece whose asylum applications are rejected will soon be required to wear ankle monitors as part of the government’s new measures to expedite deportations, a government official announced this week.
Migration Minister Thanos Plevris says the measure will be introduced before the end of the year and will be part of reforms that also criminalize refusal to comply with a deportation order.
— The use of electronic monitoring will make it clear that the options have narrowed, Plevris explains in an interview with state radio channel ERT.
The new rules, which among other things include mandatory prison sentences for those who refuse to leave the country after a deportation order, are to be presented to parliament next month. The delay is due to the sharp increase in the number of migrants arriving by boat from Libya to the Greek island of Crete during the summer.
According to Plevris, electronic monitoring will be used during a 30-day period given to migrants after their asylum applications have been rejected and all appeals have been exhausted.
The government is also considering a deportation bonus of €2,000 for those who voluntarily comply with the decision.
The strict migration policy measures that the conservative government has implemented so far – including a recently introduced ban on asylum applications for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa – have been praised by nationalists and immigration critics, but have drawn strong criticism from the Council of Europe and immigration activists.
