Greece sees rise in refugee, migrant arrivals in September

Police in northern Greece are reporting a rise the number of refugees and migrants illegally entering the country’s land border with Turkey during September.

Police in Thessaloniki said Tuesday 2,428 people were recorded to have illegally entered Greece over the land border in September, compared to 1,497 in August.

The uptick matches increased arrivals by sea from Turkey, which in September reached 4,886, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

That’s a monthly record high since March 2016, when the European Union and Turkey struck a deal to restrict the flow of migrants into Europe.

On Monday, 245 people reached the Greek islands on smugglers boats from Turkey. More than 13,000 refugees and migrants are now stuck on the islands. [AP]