Two-Week Deadline for Thousands of Stranded Migrants in Piraeus Port

Greece has given thousands of migrants who are currently at the country's largest port, Piraeus, a two-week deadline starting Thursday, April 8, to either move to government camps or face forced removal. The Associated Press reported that thousands of migrants are stationed in Piraeus and are refusing to be transferred to government camps. Greek Ministry of Interior officials attempted on Thursday, with the help of translators, to persuade the migrants in Piraeus to relocate to government camps in the north of the country. According to one of the translators in an interview with the Associated Press, officials are trying to show migrants that the government camps are well-equipped and that they can register their asylum requests there. The Greek government has taken a tougher stance against refugees and migrants in line with the EU-Turkey agreement and returned the second group of illegal migrants to Turkey on Thursday under this agreement. About four thousand refugees who arrived in Greece from Turkey after the implementation of this agreement are detained and are likely to be returned to Turkey. Greece shares a maritime border with Turkey and has been the main entry point for millions of refugees and migrants into Europe in recent years. In 2015 alone, over one million migrants and refugees from Middle Eastern Islamic countries entered Europe, most of whom went to Germany. In this context, the German Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday that over 181,000 asylum requests were registered in the first quarter of this year. Greece also reported a 'significant' decrease in the arrival of refugees to the country.