By Associated Press By Associated Press June 20 at 11:51 AM
In either direction, the waiting line is stuck.
On World Refugee Day, more than 60,000 refugees and migrants are stranded in Greece. Theyre eventually supposed to go forward to other countries in Europe or be sent back to Turkey, but the process is barely moving.
On the mainland, children take after-hours classes at Greek schools, while their families are moving out of tent camps and into trailers and apartments. Most will eventually be relocated to European Union (E.U.) countries, but the process is slow. Out of the total 63,000 places promised, just over 14,000 refugees have been moved out of Greece to 23 countries.
On the islands, where migrants are sent to wait for possible expulsion to Turkey, conditions for many have worsened as daily arrivals continue, though in smaller numbers than before. Another 14,000 people are waiting there.
Its all part of a refugee deal launched 15 months ago after more than a million people, most fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, crossed into Europe in 2015 and 2016. Greece was a key transit point on that route, as refugees traveled from Turkey to nearby Greek islands, often using unsafe boats.
At first they were able to travel freely on to wealthier countries in northern and western Europe, but tens of thousands were stranded last year when the European Union began reintroducing border controls. Those who arrived before March 20, 2016, were allowed to move on to mainland Greece to seek relocation in an E.U. country. Those who arrived after are stuck on the islands. They can apply for asylum, or protection from being sent back but many are supposed to be sent back to Turkey. In practice, thats not really happening.
Shelters on Khos, a Greek island about five miles from the coast of Turkey, are filled beyond capacity. Many new arrivals, including infants, now sleep in tents on the beach.
Jill Biden, wife of former U.S. vice president Joe Biden, visited refugees in Khos earlier this month as part of work by the aid organization Save the Children. She traveled with Nitzia Logothetis, a therapist and aid organizer, who said she was horrified by the conditions she saw.
There were over 100 unaccompanied minors on the island, between the ages of 8 and 17, and over 1,300 refugees in total, Logothetis told a conference in Athens, the Greek capital, after returning from the visit.
I saw parents, children, and people who looked so hopeless, she said. Some of the children are so stressed out. ... The longer they stay, the more severe their symptoms.
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On Greek islands, refugees and migrants find themselves stuck - Washington Post