Anger at asylum rejections causes upheaval at Lesvos camp

A group of 15 undocumented migrants on Friday vandalized the premises of the pre-departure center at the reception facility on Lesvos where they are being detained after discovering that their applications for asylum in Greece had been rejected.

The migrants had lodged appeals against the rejection of their original applications for asylum.

On Friday, those appeals were also rejected, meaning that their deportation to Turkey is imminent.

Police were called into the center once the upheaval began and managed to stop it from spreading to the rest of the camp.

Tensions are high at reception centers on the islands of the eastern Aegean which remain seriously overcrowded as migrants continue to arrive from neighboring Turkey while transfers to camps on the mainland are slow.