The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum is pushing ahead with plans to build a migrant detention center at a former f...

The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum is pushing ahead with plans to build a migrant detention center at a former factory in Iraklio, Crete, even after an official urban planning report found the site violates zoning regulations. The center is meant to house migrants arriving from North Africa, and would be the second such facility on the island, joining an existing center near Hania. Residents from surrounding villages commissioned the planning report after objecting to the facility, and say the findings vindicate their position. They have called on the ministry to scrap the project and warned they are prepared to seek court injunctions if construction moves forward. Greek officials defend the plan by arguing the center is necessary to house migrants in an organized facility, ensure legal procedures are followed, and reduce pressure on Crete's tourism industry. The ministry has not indicated it intends to halt construction despite the report's conclusions. The standoff echoes similar disputes across Europe. In the Netherlands, locals staged prolonged protests against a migrant reception center that was approved over their objections, and asylum seekers housed there were later linked to violent crimes and sexual assaults. The push to build in Iraklio also comes weeks after Greece's parliament passed new migration legislation on June 9, allowing faster removal of failed asylum seekers. Under the law, rejected applicants can be transferred to return hubs outside the EU before being repatriated, part of Athens' broader effort to tighten border management and accelerate deportations. #Greece #Immigration #Crete