Greece moves to accelerate deportations as EU partners expand Mediterranean returns and Uganda agrees in principle to accept migrants

Greece is strengthening its approach to irregular migration by sea, aiming to reduce the number of people arriving from North Africa on routes toward the Greek islands, including Crete, according to reporting from Athens published August 14 by PBS NewsHour. The move comes as the country continues to confront the pressures of an eleven-year migration crisis, with Greek officials seeking additional tools to deter new arrivals and speed removals for people found to have entered or stayed without authorization.

The PBS report described Greece’s new deportation plan as part of a broader effort to stop boats crossing the Mediterranean in the first place. The focus is on practical enforcement steps, including efforts to increase departures from Greece after intercepts and border-control actions, rather than solely expanding humanitarian processing.

The reporting also said that five European Union countries have reached a breakthrough in their attempts to deport migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea. Under the approach described, the returns would include transferring individuals to a third country willing to accept them, reducing reliance on asylum processing inside the bloc and changing the timeline for how removals can be executed.

In East Africa, Uganda has agreed to accept migrants under the deportation framework described by PBS NewsHour. The report emphasized that the arrangement has yet to be signed, meaning it remains in an interim stage rather than fully operational. That lack of a signed agreement has implications for when deportations could begin and for how each participating country would satisfy procedural and legal requirements before carrying out transfers.

For Greece, the practical effect is to create a clearer pathway for removals that can be carried out after interdictions and identification procedures. The island of Crete has been highlighted in the reporting as a key destination point for sea crossings from North Africa, placing additional pressure on Greek reception, screening, and detention systems when arrivals surge.

The PBS report, which includes on-the-ground coverage from Athens by correspondent Malcolm Brabant, framed the policy tightening as a response to continued irregular arrivals after years of strain on Greek authorities. In the near term, the next steps depend on how quickly Greece and its EU partners can finalize third-country arrangements like the one involving Uganda, and on whether an unsigned framework is converted into a formal, enforceable agreement that authorities can implement. Until then, deportation timelines may remain constrained by the need for signed terms and case-by-case processing.