New Democracy Slams Gov't On Release Of Migrants From Detention Centers

The main opposition New Democracy party called on the government to guarantee the safety of Greek citizens earlier this week following its decision to shut down migrant detention centers. At the same time the conservative party slammed the government for wanting to grant Greek citizenship to well over 300,000 illegal immigrants.

      "The government suspended the deportation of dozens of irregular migrants and opened wide the gates of the detention centres, casting them adrift wandering the streets," New Democracy spokesman Costas Karagounis said adding that at the same time the SYRIZA government will grant Greek citizenship to 300,000 irregular migrants.

"Unfortunately, they demolish what was built with strain. Unfortunately, they put their obsolete ideas above the public interest," Karagounis noted.
He then called on SYRIZA to stop the demolition, to restore the operation of detention centres and proceed with their return to their country of origin.

Meanwhile, a report in kathimerini said that the government released more immigrants and asylum seekers from detention centers across Greece on Thursday. In fact some 315 persons have been released from a total of six camps. The figure included 17 unaccompanied minors who were transferred to a reception center in Volos, central Greece.

According to the article in Kathimerini, 110 people have so far been released from the center in Amygdaleza, north of Athens, 15 from Xanthi, 41 from Paranesti in Drama and 17 from Evros (northern Greece). Another 128 persons have walked out of the detention center in Corinth in the Peloponnese, while four have left the Hellinikon center in southern of Athens.

Commenting on the issue, Alternate Minister for Immigration Policy Tasia Christodoulopoulou said on Thursday that the process would continue until most centers close down.