Greece toughens stance on illegal migration with new deportation plan

William Brangham:

Five European Union countries have made a breakthrough in their efforts to deport illegal migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Uganda in East Africa has agreed to accept them, although the deal has yet to be signed.

And now, 11 years into the migration crisis there, Greece is trying to stop boats crossing from North Africa to the Greek island of Crete.

From Athens, special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports.

Malcolm Brabant:

Accompanied by stirring soundtracks, videos of young men crossing the Mediterranean from Libya to Crete are inundating social media. Most don't mention the perils of the 200-mile-long journey, which has claimed an estimated 250 lives this year.

Instead, they post self-congratulatory messages and thank God for safe deliverance.

Man:

We are going in, man. It was a hard struggle from Libya, man. It wasn't easy to make it, man. But that's what we are doing right now. We are going direct to Europe, man.

Malcolm Brabant:

We showed some of these reels to Dimitris Kairidis, Greece's former migration minister and parliamentary spokesman for the governing center-right party. His verdict? Propaganda.

Dimitris Kairidis, Parliamentary Spokesperson, New Democracy Party:

It's basically first and foremost the smugglers themselves who advertise through social media in all the countries: Come here. It works. And then there are enemies of Europe.

So think, who wants disuniting Europe? And there is nothing more flammable, nothing more explosive than migration. This is the fight of my generation.

Malcolm Brabant:

The E.U. wants social media companies to take down misleading videos which encourage illegal migration. These reels frequently show triumphant young men swiping fingers beneath their noses, a sign of machismo and possibly gang affiliation, according to Greek Coast Guards.

But not everyone who makes it to Greece is full of bravado.

Sam Mochar, Refugee From South Sudan:

For me, it was -- it's a long journey, because, when we was in the sea, like, in a minute, you can die. You could lose your soul. But you pray sometimes and say, God, if you want to take my soul, please take it peacefully.

Malcolm Brabant:

Sam Mochar was granted political asylum in Greece after escaping civil strife in South Sudan. And now he works in an Athenian hotel.

Sam Mochar:

There's a lot of war there. And it's a good choice to cross the sea to come here, because, if you are there, you're going to die.

Malcolm Brabant:

Eleven years after Europe's migration crisis began, the boats are still coming, albeit in smaller numbers. The E.U. has yet to come up with a suitable deterrent to keep the boats at bay. But Greece believes that it can succeed by sending illegal migrants back to third countries, into camps, where asylum claims can be processed.

According to officials here in Athens, Greece, Germany, Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands have persuaded Uganda to accept deportees. If a final deal is signed, the first irregular migrants could be sent to East Africa next year.

Proclaiming their Muslim faith en route to Crete, these men mostly appear to be South Asian from countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. As far as the Greek government is concerned, they are economic migrants and prime candidates for deportation.

Dimitris Kairidis:

The operating world here is returns, returns, returns, returns. We are anti-illegal. And there is nothing more distractive, politically distractive, than the spectacle of a boat coming to a Greek beach. The picture of a boat is totally destabilizing and disorienting for Greek citizens, European citizens.

Spyros Oikonomou, Greek Council For Refugees:

What we see in practice is practically that the safeguards of the asylum process are increasingly demolished.

Malcolm Brabant:

Spyros Oikonomou is spokesman for the Greek Refugee Council, and he accuses the Athens government of copying America's example.

Spyros Oikonomou:

I would say that President Trump's policies have been probably an inspiration for various governments, including the European Union. When you have people being beaten at the borders, stripped of their belongings, and pushed back illegally to other countries, I wouldn't say this is a suitable policy.

For starters, it's not respectful of fundamental rights. It's not respectful of the rule of law. And I don't think it's respectful of European values.

Malcolm Brabant:

Pushbacks are where migrants are forced back across international borders before they can apply for asylum. Almost all the alleged incidents have taken place in the Aegean Sea, where Greek islands nestle against the Turkish coast.

This silent video posted on July 6 on the Turkish Coast Guard's pushback Web page purportedly shows eight would-be asylum seekers floating in the Aegean Sea in a life raft without an engine. The implication is that the Greeks set them adrift to float back to Turkish territorial waters.

Dimitris Kairidis:

If they have not crossed into Greek territorial waters, there is cooperation with the Turkish Coast Guard to be apprehended and to be returned to the Turkish coast.

Malcolm Brabant:

But Spyros Oikonomou says the Greek government's action undermines the nation's reputation as a rule-based democracy.

Spyros Oikonomou:

No one says that borders should not be controlled. No one says that people that do not have a right to asylum should not be returned. But all of this should be done based on our legal culture and the legal framework that is in place, not based on policies that try to flagrantly violate these obligations and rights.

Malcolm Brabant:

While Greece's government acknowledges its hostility towards irregular migrants, it accepts the need for legal immigration; 170,000 people were granted asylum in the period 2020 to 2025. The Greeks approved the asylum request of Ayesha Kamara from Sierra Leone and the mother of 2-year-old Christian. She now finds herself homeless.

Ayesha Kamara, Refugee From Sierra Leone:

They forced me on early marriage. Because I refused on that one, that early marriage, they suppressed me and my stepdad raped me.

Malcolm Brabant:

Christian is the product of the rape by Ayesha's stepfather.

Ayesha Kamara:

Greece has treated me fine because, I came, they gave me documents. So they offer me documents. I really appreciate that one. They treat me well, just because of this situation, and I know this is just the beginning.

As time goes on, I know things will be much better, because I'm just from the camp now. I don't expect everything will go easy like this. But, really, I want to stay in Greece.

Sam Mochar:

For me, I'm staying in Greece. I'm happy in Greece here, but if I got a chance to go back to home and try to motivate the family and people that are doing the work there, it will be better. But anyplace I got peace and can eat, I'm there.

Malcolm Brabant:

Greece may be convinced that large-scale deportations will dissuade would-be migrants from setting sail, but the history of the migration crisis shows that, if one route is blocked, another opens up. Such is the determination of the poor, the disadvantaged and the persecuted.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Malcolm Brabant in Athens.