Nearly 650 irregular migrants and would-be asylum seekers landed on a handful of Greek isles in the eastern Aegean over the past 24 hours, autorities announce on Sunday morning, in 17 different incidents, as the migrant flows emanating from neighboring Turkey continue mostly unchecked.
Another 60 third country nationals were picked up and duly brought to Greek territory, their intented destination, in two incidents.
The resurgent migrant/refugee crisis has emerged as the months-old Mitsotakis government's biggest "headache", as the now ruling center-right New Democracy (ND) and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised a "get tough" policy before the July 2019 election, with repeated measures, mostly administrative, failing to prevent third country nationals - smuggling rings operating in Turkey - from attempting the sea crossings in order to land on Greek territory.
