Greek parliament passes suspension of asylum claims despite international criticism
The measure suspends asylum application processing for those arriving by sea from North Africa, following a dramatic surge in Mediterranean crossings that has overwhelmed reception facilities on the island of Crete.
The suspension passed by a vote of 177-74 despite fierce opposition from left-wing parties, which unsuccessfully challenged the amendment as unconstitutional.
Thanos Plevris, the migration affairs minister, told lawmakers up to 1,000 migrants were arriving daily and described the situation as resembling an 'invasion.'
Authorities are continuing efforts to intercept boats south of Crete and take migrants directly to mainland facilities.
The emergency measures drew sharp criticism from international human rights organizations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees expressed 'deep concern.' While acknowledging Greece's right to manage borders, UNHCR said border control 'must be in line with international and European law.'
Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, also condemned Athens ' response, arguing it 'would legalize returning people to face a risk of torture and other serious violations, in breach of (Greece's international) obligations.'
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The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
MPs call for sanctions over British man detained in Dubai for 17 years
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Telegraph
27 minutes ago
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The Independent
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‘It's a concentration camp': Everything we know about Trump's new ‘Alligator Alcatraz' in the Florida Everglades
The name given by Donald Trump and his allies to Florida 's new barebones immigrant detention camp is ghoulish enough: 'Alligator Alcatraz'. Critics, however, argue that it is nothing less than a concentration camp on American soil, designed to round up disfavored minorities even if they have committed no crimes. Rapidly built and opened in the space of just two weeks on a remote and rarely used airstrip in Florida's reptile-rich Everglades, the camp is intended to hold up to 5,000 people arrested by U.S. immigration authorities while they await deportation. Numerous detainees, their families, and their lawyers have already alleged inhumane and unsafe conditions, including maggoty food and overflowing toilets. Polling suggests that almost half of all Americans disapprove of the facility, with only 26 per cent of independent voters being in favor. So what exactly is Alligator Alcatraz, and what will happen to the so far 700-odd people detained there? 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Leamsy 'La Figura' Izquierdo, a Cuban reggaeton artist arrested last week in Miami-Dade County for assault with a deadly weapon and transferred to Alligator Alcatraz, likewise told CBS News: 'There's no water to take a bath, it's been four days since I've taken a bath. "They only brought a meal once a day and it has maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants." Another detainee said guards had taken away his Bible and told him that "here there is no right to religion". Democratic legislators who visited the camp say they're deeply concerned. While a bipartisan group was allowed to visit on July 12 — as required by state law — they were given a "sanitized" tour of still-empty areas with no detainees. Even then, their review was harsh. 'They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans," said Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. 'This place needs to be shut the hell down. They're abusing human beings." A spokesperson for the Florida state government said, "The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order." Who is detained there? In early July, Donald Trump claimed that the Florida facility would "handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet" — and said he wants to see similar facilities built in "many states". But what we know of Alligator Alcatraz's inmates conflicts with his description. According to The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, only one-third of the 700 people currently being held there have any criminal conviction whatsoever. 250 detainees have been judged to have broken immigration law, which is a civil offence and not a criminal one. One detainee, who described the conditions as potentially "a form of torture", told CBS: "A lot of us have our residency documents and we don't understand why we're here." That fits the general pattern of Trump's detentions so far. Despite promising to prioritize "the worst of the worst", data suggests that only 8 percent of the estimated 185,000 people detained by ICE between October 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025 had been convicted of a serious crime. One-third of detainees had some kind of criminal conviction, but among that group, 75 percent had only committed low-level crimes such as traffic offenses. How long detainees will stay at Alligator Alcatraz is unclear, but immigration court proceedings can take months or years, and the Trump administration has said it will deny bail en masse. Hence, it could be a long time for some. Is it a concentration camp? Some critics believe so. Among them is the journalist Andrea Pitzer, author of One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps, who made her case in a recent op-ed for MSNBC. "This facility's purpose fits the classic model: mass civilian detention without real trials targeting vulnerable groups for political gain based on ethnicity, race, religion or political affiliation rather than for crimes committed," Pitzer wrote. "We're still in the early stages of this arc, but... the history of this kind of detention underlines that it would be a mistake to think the current cruelties are the endpoint. America is likely just getting started." While the term 'concentration camp' is most associated with the Nazis, such camps have been widely used by numerous nations, including the U.K., the U.S., Spain, and the Soviet Union. Immigration lawyer Raul A. Reyes likewise argued in The Los Angeles Times that Alligator Alcatraz is a "national disgrace" that "will place detainees in life-threatening conditions". He further claimed the facility "appears intentionally designed to inflict suffering on detainees", citing supporters' "gleeful" attitude to the idea of federal detainees being eaten by alligators. The Florida Republican Party, and Uthmeier himself, are even selling Alligator Alcatraz merchandise, including baseball caps, water bottles, and beer koozies.
