Marco Rubio's visit to Athens produced more than photo opportunities. Among the topics discussed bilaterally was illegal...

Marco Rubio's visit to Athens produced more than photo opportunities. Among the topics discussed bilaterally was illegal immigration, and according to Marios Kaleas, head of the Greek Asylum Service and board president of the European Union Agency for Asylum, the two countries are now closer than ever on how to handle it. The alignment runs deeper than a single meeting. Greek and American immigration agencies have built a working relationship over the past several years, grounded in shared policy priorities: stronger border enforcement, dismantling smuggling networks, and tightening the legal framework around asylum. Kaleas wrote in To Vima that the US has recognized Greece's transformation on the issue and now wants to deepen cooperation through joint technical working groups. That cooperation has a specific shape. The proposed working groups would focus on border protection, cracking down on trafficking rings, and potentially exploring alternatives to the current international asylum framework. Rubio, speaking from the Pnyx in Athens, called for further securing European borders and restoring a sense of safety for European citizens from uncontrolled mass migration. This is the second time Washington has moved toward a bilateral immigration deal with Greece. In 2024, the Biden administration floated the idea of relocating Latin American migrants to Greece, only to receive a flat refusal from Athens. The Trump administration's approach is different in direction: coordination on enforcement rather than resettlement. The article notes that since 2024, both the US and most EU member states have quietly shifted toward positions Greece has held for years. Greece's challenge now, Kaleas argues, is to translate this convergence into concrete national security gains while keeping its commitments to European migration strategy intact. #Greece #Immigration #USGreece