Whereabouts of 32,000 migrants remains unknown

Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis admitted on Thursday that the whereabouts of some 32,000 migrants whose asylum requests have been rejected are unknown.

Speaking at a press conference, he said authorities do not know what the 32,574 people did next after their rejection, given the existing problems with regard to migrant returns.

He also noted that since March 10, 2020, under the pretext of enforcing protective measures against the coronavirus, Turkey has not been accepting migrant returns as it should according to the EU-Turkey Joint Declaration.

“This is something we have pointed out many times in the European institutions because this is not a bilateral agreement but an EU agreement with Turkey,” he said.

Moreover, he did not rule out the possibility that many of those who remain in Greece illegally have slipped into other European Union countries.