A New Government Plan to Speed Up the Deportation of Illegal Migrants from Greece

Greece launches a new plan to accelerate deportations of illegal migrants with over 1000 returns expected in the next two months

The Greek government continues to intensify deportations of illegal migrants. More than one thousand people are expected to leave the country within the next two months in addition to 250 forced returns planned in the near future.

The Ministry of Migration and Asylum announced that this step is part of a comprehensive plan. The goal is to organize the process institutionally align it with European policies and strengthen diplomatic and technical cooperation to ensure success.

Numbers Show Acceleration

In July 581 migrants were deported. Among them 379 were removed by the Greek police and 202 by the International Organization for Migration IOM. In August up to the 20th 227 returns were recorded including 139 forced and 88 voluntary.

Upcoming Flights

The plan includes scheduled return flights at the end of August and the beginning of September with additional operations in midSeptember. Preparations are also underway for further flights in November through IOM covering destinations in Asia and Africa.

Diplomatic and European Cooperation

These steps followed intensive consultations by Migration Minister Thanos Plevris with representatives of key countries along with European support through Frontex. The talks focused on enhancing cooperation on returns and facilitating the organization of flights.

Airlines contributed by providing extra seats on return flights despite high tourism demand. At the same time IOM is planning chartered flights from Athens starting in November giving further momentum to the process.

Field Visits and New Strategy

Minister Plevris visited detention and reception centers in Amygdaleza Malakasa Samos and Mytilene. He confirmed the readiness of infrastructure and introduced new operational principles that focus on hospitality and institutional discipline while stressing the importance of effectively identifying irregular migrants.

The new plan prioritizes specific destinations within a wider European and international cooperation framework. Its aim is to reduce irregular migration flows and strengthen the national migration policy.