Greece has suspended asylum claims for migrants arriving from North Africa, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups and the UN over legality and human rights.

Migrants could be forced to eat poorer quality meals under plans to deter people from arriving in Greece on small boats. The country's firebrand migration minister, Thanos Plevris, has announced measures which he hopes will make Greece a less tempting destination for asylum seekers.

The coast guard noted 7,300 asylum-seekers have reached Crete and a nearby island this year, up from fewer than 5,000 in 2024. More than 2,500 arrivals have been recorded since June alone.

Greece will stop processing asylum applications of people coming from North Africa, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday, amid a surge in migrant arrivals.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that his country will suspend, for three months, all asylum hearings for migrants arriving by boat from North Africa, amid an influx of migrants from Libya.

The suspension will apply only to migrants reaching Crete by sea. Migrants entering illegally will be detained, Mitsotakis said. “The Greek government is sending a firm message:

No changes are expected to be seen in Greece’s tough migration policy under Plevris who, like Voridis and current health minister Adonis Georgiadis, joined the conservative New Democracy in 2012, leaving the right-populist Popular Orthodox Rally, or LAOS.