People who are in Greece illegally and do not want to leave voluntarily will face a minimum of three years in prison in future.
The country’s conservative government wants to crack down on irregular migration with a draft law published on Thursday.
A statement from the Ministry of Migration described the draft law as an important step towards restoring the balance between protecting human rights and preserving the rule of law, social cohesion and national security. The draft is to be presented to parliament in Athens soon.
Until now, people without the right to remain in Greece have not faced imprisonment. Instead, they are taken to a camp to be deported at a later date. They are allowed to leave the camp.
Under the draft law, the suspension or conversion of the prison sentence is generally excluded – unless those affected agree to leave the country voluntarily. In this case, the sentence can be lifted.
“In future, those affected will only have two options: detention or return,” the ministry said.
Greece temporarily stopped accepting asylum applications from migrants arriving by sea from North Africa on July 11.
The measure was implemented after thousands of people arrived on the island of Crete, and is primarily intended as a deterrent. The asylum ban will initially apply for three months.