Greece reopens Syrian and Afghan asylum cases, hoping for returns
Athens, Greece – Bashir is a Syrian Muslim who has lived in Greece since 2014. He married a fellow Syrian in the country, and three months ago, they had a son. After years of picking olives and orang…
Athens, Greece – Bashir is a Syrian Muslim who has lived in Greece since 2014. He married a fellow Syrian in the country, and three months ago, they h
Read Full Story at Al Jazeera →Why This Matters
The reopening of asylum cases for Syrians and Afghans in Greece marks a critical inflection point in Europe’s shifting approach to migration, testing the balance between humanitarian obligations and the political pressure to reduce irregular arrivals. For individuals like Bashir, whose life has become entrenched in Greece through family and labor, the policy shift introduces profound uncertainty—one that could redefine the meaning of sanctuary for thousands who once sought safety from war and persecution.
Background Context
Greece has long been a primary entry point for asylum seekers crossing from Turkey, hosting over 100,000 recognized refugees since 2015. However, successive governments have increasingly prioritized deterrence, from the controversial 2016 EU-Turkey deal to recent crackdowns on NGO search-and-rescue operations. The reopening of asylum cases—particularly for nationals of Syria and Afghanistan, the two largest groups of applicants—reflects both a legal recalibration under EU asylum laws and a strategic gamble to facilitate returns to third countries.
What Happens Next
The immediate outcome hinges on whether destination countries for returns—potentially Turkey, Jordan, or others—accept deportees under revised agreements, or if legal challenges stall the process. For families like Bashir’s, the uncertainty complicates long-term planning, from securing housing to enrolling children in schools. Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations warn that returns without guarantees of safety or reintegration risk creating a new cycle of displacement.
Bigger Picture
This move aligns with a broader European trend of leveraging legal and procedural mechanisms to shrink asylum corridors, even as conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan show no signs of abating. It also underscores the growing tension between EU solidarity mechanisms and national self-interest, where countries like Greece act as gatekeepers to the bloc’s internal market. For asylum seekers, the shifting landscape signals that the promise of protection may be increasingly conditional on geopolitical convenience rather than humanitarian need.
