House committee examines measures taken to stem flow of migrants

Communities hosting large numbers of migrants and asylum seekers gave out another ‘SOS’ on Tuesday, complaining of rising crime, squatting and general nuisance.

At the House ad hoc committee on demographics, government officials spoke of measures taken to tackle the influx of asylum seekers.

These included the hiring of 218 ‘border guards’ to monitor the Green Line, €25 million to be spent on upgrading the facilities at the Pournara reception centre, increasing the capacity at the Kofinou centre so that it can house up to 700 people, and the construction of a pre-departure facility at Limnes.

Construction of the latter, with an estimated price tag of €80 million, will begin in June.

Officials also said the processing of asylum applications has been sped up. For example, the processing of such applications from so-called ‘safe countries’ now takes 15 days.

This year, up until March 14, a total of 2,023 people were returned. Of these, 828 were voluntary (the asylum seekers received financial incentives), 456 were forced, and the rest related to relocations.

A justice ministry official also referred to increased police checks at buildings where migrants reside. He said that in 2022 there were 135 arrests of traffickers, while 226 employers were charged for illegal employment.

Disy MP Prodromos Alambritis pointed out that last year some 20,000 asylum applications were filed. At the same time, 8,000 people were returned. Despite this record number of returns, the net was 12,000 in the negative.

The state simply cannot keep up with the flow of asylum seekers, Alambritis said.

Ayia Napa mayor Christos Zannettou reported the lack of checks at buildings where asylum seekers and migrants reside, with the owners sub-letting the same apartments to different persons.

He said around 800 migrants currently live in the coastal town.

The mayor alleged that the welfare office was accepting lease contracts on apartments without proof of a water or electricity metre; he spoke of one building complex where minors live “completely illegally.”

For his part, Christakis Meleties, the community leader of Kokkinotrimithia, told MPs he did not want his community to turn into “an African town” – pointing out that some 3.500 persons now live long-term at the nearby Pournara reception centre.

Living standards in the community are declining, and many residents have left. Whenever asylum seekers steal or light fires, they are not arrested but simply sent back to Pournara.

And Nicolas Liasidis, community leader of Chlorakas, spoke of a company who – in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation – had housed over 1,000 migrants in various apartment complexes in Chlorakas and in the Paphos area.

He said the company in question owed €200,000 in unpaid water bills and, when authorities cut the water supply, the company illegally brought water in tankers.

After the apartment complexes were closed down, around 300 migrants remained there as squatters. They have no electricity or running water, and so are forced to ‘steal’ these from nearby residences.

An official from the junior ministry of welfare said asylum seekers get a monthly allowance of €361 per person. Some 9,000 families are recipients. The total cost of these benefits in 2022 came to €33 million.

The same official said efforts were being made to cut benefits to those who have since found gainful employment.

Maria Adamidou, an official with the interior ministry, revealed plans to create a junior ministry for migration and asylum. The relevant bill would come to parliament in May or June.

MPs complained that, of the five ministers summoned to the committee meeting, only two bothered to show up – the minister of labour and the minister of education.