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Migrants are scrambling to apply for asylum in Europe as more get deported

Lianna Brinded   

Migrants are scrambling to apply for asylum in Europe as more get deported
Politics3 min read

migrantsgreece1

Reuters

A Macedonian policeman uses his baton to prevent migrants and refugees to open the border fence at a makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni, Greece, April 7, 2016.

Greece resumed sending back migrants to Turkey on Friday, a move that has also led to a spike in asylum applications.

This is because Greece is allowed to deport migrants that either do not apply for asylum or fail in their claims so therefore it would delay the process in being sent back if they go through the asylum seeking process.

Most of the 200 migrants being sent back are said to be Pakistanis, according to the BBC.

The BBC added that the deportation "process stalled as asylum applications surged."

European Union members are all trying to thrash out the best way to accommodate the one million migrants arriving in the 28 nation bloc per year, some countries like Greece are struggling to cope with the influx due to its own battered economy.

Greece started sending back refugees to Turkey, as of April 4, if they entered the country illegally from Turkey. The deal also means that for every Syrian migrant arriving in Greece, one will be sent back to Turkey while one Syrian in Turkey will be resettled in the EU.

In order to enforce the deal, the EU are sending 2,300 officials to help enforce the new agreement. That includes security officials and translators.

migrantbaby

Reuters

Migrants and refugees stage a protest at a makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni, Greece, April 6, 2016.

On Sunday, the Greek government's migration spokesman, Giorgos Kyritsis, told the Observer newspaper that Greece will descend into rioting and chaos when the new agreement between the European Union and Turkey is fully underway.

On Friday, the BBC reported:

Three protesters dived into the water to try to stop a ferry carrying 45 Pakistani men as it left Lesbos but were fished out by coastguards.

Other protesters tried to enter the gates of the port, Mytilene.

Protests around the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni in Greece - where many makeshift camps are- have escalated.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) confirmed on December 30, 2015 that more than one million refugees and migrants reached the continent by sea since the start of 2015.

This is versus 219,000 in 2014.

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