There will be “no tolerance of delinquent behaviour by foreigners,” Deputy Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides said on Monday after meeting the Alaminos community leader as part of an ongoing series of talks with Menoyia residents about the Limnes migrant reception centre there.

During the meeting, Ioannides outlined what his ministry referred to as the “strategic importance” of the Limnes centre and theclosed detention centre, both in Menoyia.

“These projects are expected to strengthen the migration policy consistently implemented by the deputy ministry of migration and government in general,” Ioannides said.

Ioannides emphasised there had been an overall decrease in “illegal arrivals” and new asylum applications, while the number of migrants being deported or returning home had increased.

He stressed that upon completion of the centre and the detention facility, there would be increased policing to “enhance the feeling of safety of residents” and reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to closely cooperate with local communities.

“The purpose of this cooperation is to resolve and effectively manage any issues that arise, ensuring the smooth development of the projects and the unhindered future operation of the reception centres [while] taking into account the best interests of the communities and their residents,” he added.

Ioannides said that in the coming weeks, there would be meetings with other communities in the area.  

“The communities are given the opportunity to submit their proposals and suggestions regarding the management of any issues that they anticipate will arise from the implementation of these projects,” he said.

Over recent months, Ioannides has met the community leaders of south Stavrovouni, Menoyia, Kofinou, Mazotos and Alethriko, all of which are located close to the area where the two facilities are currently being built.

In March, residents of the Menoyia community and surrounding areas staged a protest against the planned construction of the migrant reception centre, demanding authorities “ensure the safety of our residents and children.”

Anglisides community leader Eleni Sakkada, who also took part in the protest, back then said that they were not calling for the project to be halted but insisted that the facility should remain closed – meaning that migrants would not be allowed to leave the premises – because “we shouldn’t have to be afraid to leave our homes.”

Residents in the surrounding Menoyia area have long expressed their opposition to having the Limnes reception centre in the area, at times even suggesting separate schools for the migrants so as not to mix with “the locals.”

However, not all community leaders share these concerns. Kofinou community leader Constantinos Antoniou previously told the Cyprus Mail that residents there live peacefully alongside asylum seekers.

“The presence of migrants poses no problems for us here. We coexist just fine,” Antoniou said.

“We’re all refugees in Kofinou. We know what it’s like to lose everything and have to start from scratch.”