Uk, Turkey, Syria, Greece, Afghanistan, Iraq At The Core Of Europe’s Migration Legacy As Greece’s Lesbos Island Moves From Saving Lives To Restricting Asylum At The Continent’s Edge

Thursday, July 31, 2025

UK, Turkey, Syria, Greece, Afghanistan, and Iraq stay cardinal to nan communicative of Europe’s migration transformation, pinch nan Greek land of Lesbos symbolizing a decade-long displacement from humanitarian invited to fortified exclusion. Once nan bosom of Europe’s exile consequence during nan 2015 crisis—when thousands fleeing warfare and instability successful Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan crossed from Turkey—Lesbos now stands arsenic a heavy controlled frontier wherever Greece enforces tightened EU separator policies. The UK and France person since strengthened enforcement, while Greece, backed by EU support, has restricted assistance entree and relocated migrants to distant camps. As arrivals driblet drastically and tourism rebounds, nan island’s modulation reflects nan broader European pivot from compassion to containment.

Lesbos, Ten Years On: From Humanitarian Haven to Fortress of Border Control

Sailing beneath nan agleam June entity adjacent nan Greek land of Lesbos, fisherman Thanos Marmarinos recalls nan nighttime he rescued migrant women and children from a sinking vessel astir a decade ago. It was late, nan upwind was cold, and he had already completed 1 rescue mission. Yet, erstwhile nan telephone came again, he couldn’t disregard it.

That infinitesimal was portion of a activity that defined Europe’s largest migration situation successful caller memory. In 2015, Lesbos recovered itself astatine nan forefront of a humanitarian emergency. With its adjacent proximity to Turkey, nan land became nan main landing constituent for thousands fleeing conflict successful Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Almost half a cardinal refugees passed done nan island, welcomed by residents who provided food, blankets, and kindness. International assistance agencies group up camp, turning Lesbos into a awesome of compassion and solidarity.

Today, Lesbos tells a very different story.

In nan years since nan crisis, migration to Europe has fallen dramatically. According to EU separator agency Frontex, irregular arrivals to nan European Union dropped to astir 240,000 successful 2024—less than a 4th of 2015 levels. The number of migrants arriving connected Lesbos fell to conscionable 11,200 past year, based connected UNHCR figures. These numbers bespeak not conscionable changing migration patterns but a deeper displacement successful European policy.

In 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened nan country’s borders to hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers. But nan governmental ambiance quickly shifted arsenic nationalist support waned and integration challenges mounted. Anti-immigration sentiment grew crossed nan continent, prompting governments to enact tougher laws.

Lesbos has go a stark illustration of this change. Today, migrant boats are intercepted earlier reaching populated areas. Police beingness is precocious on nan coastal roads wherever visitors now drive. Aid workers are restricted—requiring anterior authorization to thief migrants travel ashore. Violating these rules tin lead to prosecution. A caller migrant installation is presently nether building successful a distant conifer forest, acold from towns and beaches.

The opposition is particularly striking successful Skala Sikamias, a coastal colony that erstwhile saw nan regular presence of overloaded dinghies and exhausted families. Back then, it was buzzing pinch volunteers and emergency teams. Now, it’s a serene vacation destination. Tourists dine astatine seafront tavernas, nan sound of cicadas replacing nan chaos of rescue efforts.

Tourism, erstwhile severely impacted by nan crisis, has since rebounded. In 2024, complete 76,000 travelers arrived by world flights, matching pre-crisis levels, according to Greece’s tourism confederation SETE.

Much of this displacement began successful March 2016, erstwhile nan European Union and Turkey signed a woody to curb migration. Under nan agreement, Syrian refugees reaching Greek islands could beryllium sent backmost to Turkey. Greece, which had functioned arsenic a transit country, abruptly became a waiting zone. Migrants arriving connected Lesbos could nary longer move freely to bluish Europe but had to await asylum rulings successful overcrowded camps.

One specified camp, built successful a erstwhile subject guidelines adjacent nan colony of Moria, grew into Europe’s largest exile camp. Designed for only a fewer 100 people, it yet held much than 10,000 by 2018. Conditions were poor—tense, unsanitary, and dangerous. In 2020, a occurrence engulfed nan camp, forcing thousands to slumber on adjacent roads. Four Afghan men were sentenced to 10 years successful situation for starting nan fire, though they claimed innocence.

A smaller campy called Kara Tepe was built connected nan seashore afterward. Today, it houses astir 1,000 group successful much controlled conditions.

Despite disapproval from quality authorities organizations, Greek authorities support that their actions are ineligible and necessary. They contradict immoderate unlawful pushbacks aliases mistreatment of asylum seekers.

The European Union is now considering moreover stricter regulations. In May 2024, nan European Commission projected changes to migration laws that would let rejected asylum seekers to beryllium deported to countries pinch which they person nary connection. The connection is still nether statement wrong nan European Parliament and nan Council of nan EU.

In July, some nan UK and France introduced tougher separator enforcement measures. Greece followed by passing a rule temporarily suspending asylum applications from migrants arriving from North African countries.

Ten years aft Lesbos became a gateway to Europe for those escaping war, it has go a guarded border. The island, erstwhile known for its generosity, now stands astatine nan separator of a Europe progressively focused connected information and deterrence.

UK, Turkey, Syria, Greece, Afghanistan, and Iraq stay profoundly connected to Europe’s migration history arsenic Lesbos shifts from a refuge for nan displaced to a awesome of hardened separator control.

Marmarinos’s memories from that fateful nighttime still linger. For him, and for galore connected nan island, nan echoes of compassion remain—but they are now portion of a different era.