Greek authorities say they plan to build detention centers to house 30,000 illegal immigrants by 2014.
Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysohoidis said on Monday that 30 facilities — officially named “closed hospitality centers” — would be created from unused military sites under a €250 million program funded by the European Union.
The detained immigrants would outnumber Greece’s prison population, currently estimated at 12,500. Greece is the busiest transit point for illegal immigrants in the EU. Greek authorities claim more than a million people are living in the country illegally.
The first of the centres is due to open next month at an old, unused army base near the northern town of Kozani, prompting an angry reaction from the city’s authorities, who said they had been kept in the dark over the plans until they were publicly announced.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
