As dawn broke, the first of more than 200 migrants, mostly Pakistanis and Afghans, were ferried from the Greek islands back to Turkey.
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Francis, the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, has been outspoken about Europe’s moral obligation to welcome refugees and his visit to Greece will likely embarrass European Union leaders already under fire from human rights groups over the deportations.
He said the first ferry carried 72 while the second had 62 people onboard.
A third boat carrying 66 migrants left from nearby Chios Island arriving in Dikili shortly after.
“We don’t plan in advance the date or number of those being sent back”, the source told AFP, emphasizing that the Greek government had to assess asylum applications by migrants.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Dikili residents, including those visiting the town, have staged a rally in protest against the arrival of the deported migrants.
“There will be a hard few months ahead”, the Associated Press quoted Stavropoulou as saying.
Refugees sent back from the Greek island of Lesbos began arriving in Turkey on Monday under a European Union deal aimed at stopping the influx of refugees into Europe since past year.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is insisting all migrants in Moria have their asylum claims properly considered and an appeal against a rejected claim considered before being forced to leave Greece.
These children fenced in at a detention centre on the island of Chios are among some 4,000 migrants and refugees being detained on Greek islands since the agreement came into effect March 20. There were also two Syrians who had requested a return to Turkey, Turkish officials said.
“It is more a mistake than anything else, we hope”, he said.
Yiorgos Kyritsis, the spokesman for the Greek government panel coordinating the migration crisis, said no operations were planned for Tuesday.
Of the 640 who have been registered, most expressed a wish to apply for asylum.
“It is completely disingenuous to say that the EU-Turkey deal is about saving lives”, Sunderland added.
All “irregular migrants” arriving since March 20 face being sent back, although the deal calls for each case to be examined individually.
Giorgos Moutafis / Reuters The EU-Turkey deal, which aims to clamp down illegal migration to Europe, has been criticized by refugee agencies and rights groups as being inhumane.
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Nor do the human rights activists believe such an attempt would stop the desperate people from crossing to the shores of Greece – blocking the main routes may instead make the refugees seek out even more unsafe and expensive means to escape.
