Illegal migrant total for year at 3,800
Port authorities on the islands of Evia, Kos and Lesvos have arrested a total of 108 illegal immigrants of various nationalities over the past two days, bringing this year’s total of illegal immigrants apprehended to 3,800. A group of 66 immigrants (23 Pakistanis, 41 Iraqis, one Nigerian and one from Sierra Leone) arrived on the southeastern coast of Evia in a sailing boat and were taken ashore by the human traffickers in inflatable dinghies. On the island of Kos, 20 Asians and Africans were arrested on Monday in the area of Aghios Fokas. And on Lesvos, police and port authorities found 22 Afghans, including 8 children, who had come ashore in rowing boats after being abandoned by Turkish human traffickers. The Council of Europe is holding a conference in Athens today and tomorrow on illegal immigration in the Mediterranean, and on protecting immigrants’ dignity.
