Turkey is under growing pressure to consider a major escalation in migrant deportations from Greece, a top European Union official said Thursday, amid preparations for a highly anticipated summit of EU and Turkish leaders next week.
European Council President Donald Tusk ended a six-nation tour of migration crisis countries in Turkey, where 850,000 migrants and refugees left last year for Greek islands.
“We agree that the refugee flows still remain far too high,” Tusk said after meeting Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
“To many in Europe, the most promising method seems to be a fast and large-scale mechanism to ship back irregular migrants arriving in Greece. It would effectively break the business model of the smugglers.”
Tusk was careful to single out illegal economic migrants for possible deportation, not asylum-seekers. And he wasn’t clear who would actually carry out the expulsions: Greece itself, EU border agency Frontex or even other organizations like NATO.
Greek officials said Thursday that nearly 32,000 migrants were stranded in the country following a decision by Austria and four ex-Yugolsav countries to drastically reduce the number of transiting migrants.
“We consider the (Macedonian) border to be closed … Letting 80 through a day is not significant,” Migration Minister Ioannis Mouzals said.
He said the army had built 10,000 additional places at temporary shelters since the border closures, with work underway on a further 15,000.
But a top U.N. official on migration warned that number of people stranded in Greece could quickly double.
Peter Sutherland said the “inevitable consequence” of closed borders throughout the Balkans “is that Greece increasingly becomes a camp for refugees and migrants.”
About a third of migrants trapped in Greece are at the village of Idomeni, on the border with Macedonia. Dwellers at a sprawling camp there hold out hope for crossing in increasingly difficult conditions.
Greek police said 130 people were allowed to cross the border Thursday.
Migrants said Macedonia didn’t accept computer-generated stamps issued by the Greek police, and therefore they couldn’t prove their identity documents were genuine.
Adnan Abdallah from Syria had waited to cross from Greece to Macedonia for three days, but when he finally was let through, he was turned back because the stamp on his refugee document is computer-generated.
“They say here (in Greece) everything is OK, but on the other side this is not acceptable,” he told The Associated Press.
The EU is struggling to hold its members to plans for a Europe-wide solution in dealing with the mass migration.
Hungary has already called a referendum on EU plans for a mandatory quota system for settling migrants, and says it’s was considering action to bolster its border fences with additional police and military personnel, and extending the fence to the Romanian frontier.
Earlier Thursday, Tusk told officials in Athens that Europe had little chance of resolving the crisis without full respect of controls on the external borders of Europe’s passport-free Schengen area — signaling pressure on Athens to do more to separate economic migrants from those fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.
He also had a direct message for them.
“I want to appeal to all potential illegal economic migrants, wherever you are from: Do not come to Europe,” Tusk said.
“Do not risk your lives and your money. It is all for nothing. Greece, or any other European country, will no longer be a transit country.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Wow they changed their tune didn’t they?
its apparent that an “open arms” Immigration policy doesn’t work. Those people have brought nothing but grief and crime to Europe and Its only going to get worse. Muslims have been driven out of Europe before and Im sure it will happen again. They do not assimilate.
It’s all that damn merkle womans fault now they streaming through into Europe you not gonna find those men till they kill people by then it’s too late…it’s a his grace that young strong moneyed men all leaving there country they should stay and fight for the country…crazy that Europe will open borders to cowards….I
Hardly saw any woman and kids crossing
Polish minister wants to create army from Muslim and help with transport so they can start fighting for their country. Why, he said, they will drink coffee and we would go to their country and fight ? Good idea.
Somehow many leaders have mental problems. Mercel listen to Obama and let Muslims flood whole Europe. Why she listen to Obama ? Why presidents of countries from EU agree with Mercel? They are all idiots . Maybe the leaders eat something like poison affecting their brains ?
Russia is keeping a large part of the trouble going in Syria. Perhaps they should take care of the refugees. Send them to Russia and let Vladimir find a place for them.
You got that right! Russia is a big place. Lots of open space.
Putin is much wiser than you think . He was warning Europe before they start taking Muslims.
They should stop the considering and Do it, The people do not belong there, and Putin are using them as a weapon
Before you criticize somebody from another country the first look at your country . Maybe you can see what is going in your own government??? Maybe you can also see who start immigration from Arab countries by stupid politics ??? Maybe you should notice that America destroyed whole Middle East and when problem started Europe start cleaning after American mess. Maybe you should notice why Muslims attack Americans ??? YOu created ISIS. Now where are you ???SO if you do not know what is happening on the world shut up and say nothing. All America’s fault.
You have a big mouth and nothing but crap comes out of it. No one is at fault with the world the way it is except for Muslims. If you try to help them, they hate you. If you ignore them, they hate you. If you try to solve their millennial vendettas, they hate you. These are the most ignorant, non-cooperative people on the face of the earth.
Gosh, who would have expected this??? Where is the Pope condemning EU for not welcoming all with open arms? Why is it only the US that is required to not only let all in but to then take care of them, change their laws, give them all the free stuff they can hold, etc? Answer – because the US is more than willing to destroy their borders, welcome all, ignore the pitfalls of no borders, and above all, we, the people, must be politically correct in all race/religion matters or succumb to being called names and treated as an evil person.
We can’t feed and take care of the people that are already here. How many people right here at home and a lot of them children that go hungry every day. And they want to let more people in to the U.S.A to sleep on the street. Lets get off our butt and tell Washington to put a stop all this bull and start taking care of people here at home.
Let the UN take care of them but first kick the UN out of the USA!
But America did this mess !!!
It’s about time. How about having the middle east county’s take care of their own. Saudi Arabia is one idea.
They would take care of themselves but America came and did not let them do what they wanted. America wanted to decide whom they put in charge in every country in Middle East and in Ukraine and they want also put their person in charge of Russia. The last point is not easy so America is so upset with Putin now that they are even ready to start 3-rd world war .
Why the heck do the countries receiving
These people build shelters. Put the
Migrants to use and have them help.
If somebody opened their home to me
Intime of need…id scrub floors do dishes
And shine shoes..these countries need
To use their heads..
Come on now. They don’t want to work. They just want you to take care of them because some shit head back home told him (or her ) that you would. Welfare, free medical, free schools a check every month. Don’t have to work. Hell I almost feel like going there too.
TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT
The UN brought this on themselfs, with their “we are the world mentality” has backfired. Their new world disorder has proven its destined to fail. While EU banks teater on the brink of disaster the euro could collapse. Their sock puppets Obama / HillBillary are headed the same direction. What people do not under stand not a single immigrant belong anywhere except their own country. They have been brainwashed from birth to hate and terrorise any one unwilling to accept their barbaric mindset . They would have to be deprogramed,an immposible undertaking..taking Asayed down is not in the best interest of The US. Except to create a power vaccume for Isis to expand.So what the heck is Obama doing besides trying to change the demographics in favor of insurgents. As he did with the Iran deal.We should I believe working with Russia to eradicate Isis instead of clashing with Russia.Trump is correct in this regard.nobody respects us anymore setting the tone of working with Putin would put the US in a strong position and open the door for future Co operation.