Greece is preparing a significantly stricter migration policy in response to a sharp and unexpected increase in arrivals on Crete, Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris told Parliament on Thursday.

Speaking on the sidelines of parliamentary scrutiny, Plevris warned that if the recent surge proves to be more than an isolated incident, the government is ready to adopt “very hard measures,” reportedly already discussed with the prime minister. He stressed that these would go well beyond the suspension of asylum procedures. “We will not allow a repeat of what happened in 2015, when people were left to linger without control. The country has borders, and they are guarded,” he said.

The minister pointed to a shift in migration routes, noting that flows are no longer primarily entering through the Eastern Aegean but increasingly via Crete. He said that more than 600 arrivals were recorded in a single day, with roughly 40% landing in Heraklion. The development, he argued, requires immediate differentiation and assessment of arrivals, alongside the establishment of appropriate reception facilities.

Plevris reiterated the government’s emphasis on deterrence and international cooperation, citing coordination with the Turkish Coast Guard and describing a reported 70% reduction in flows in the Eastern Aegean. He also referred to efforts to strengthen cooperation with Libya to manage departures.

In response to a parliamentary question from opposition MP from the Plefsi Eleftherias party regarding approximately 1,600 missing unaccompanied minors, Plevris said that an emergency response mechanism is activated whenever such cases are reported. This includes the involvement of police and prosecutors. He added that in most cases, the minors are eventually located, often because they are close to reaching adulthood and may not wish to return, he noted.