More than 150,000 people entered Greece illegally between 2023 and 2025, according to researcher Ioannis Kolovos, who ho...

More than 150,000 people entered Greece illegally between 2023 and 2025, according to researcher Ioannis Kolovos, who holds a doctorate from the University of Macedonia and has studied Greek immigration policy for years. That figure covers only detected crossings, meaning the real number is likely higher. Crete has now become the primary landing point for migrants reaching Greece, overtaking the eastern Aegean islands that absorbed the brunt of the 2015 crisis. Last year alone, nearly 19,800 people made landfall on Crete, accounting for 47% of the national total. Most came from Sudan, Egypt, and Bangladesh. Kolovos points to what he describes as a two-part demographic problem: a native Greek population that is aging and shrinking, with a birth rate of just 1.3 children per woman, and a growing immigrant population settling in the country. He argues that successive governments, both center-left and center-right, have failed to address illegal immigration and have instead launched five legalization programs since the mid-1990s, which he says turns Greece into a magnet for more arrivals. Public opinion, according to Kolovos, is not on the side of these policies. A recent poll found that 55.3% of Greeks support creating return hubs in Africa for illegal migrants. Despite that, immigration rarely becomes the deciding issue at the ballot box, with most voters prioritizing economic concerns instead. On solutions, Kolovos is direct. Anyone who entered or stayed in Greece illegally should have no right to apply for asylum and no right to work, with repatriation as the only available path. Until that happens, he argues they should be kept separate from the country's legal residents. #Greece #Immigration #Borders