The channeling of illegal immigrants from the occupied areas to the free areas has stopped for the time being. For the past three days, none of them has entered the territory controlled by the Republic of Cyprus to apply for asylum.
In recent weeks, despite the restrictive measures taken in both the occupied and free areas due to the coronavirus, the channeling of illegal - mainly economic - immigrants from African countries has continued, but at a reduced pace. Thus, while previously dozens of illegal immigrants arrived daily from various "holes" of the front line, last week they appeared at police stations for asylum applications much less and in the last three days not a single one appeared.
The competent state authorities believe that either the informal migrants who were in the occupied areas have already arrived in the free areas, or that they have returned the additional security measures taken at the counter-line, although no incident of obstructing illegal immigrants has been officially recorded. occupied in the free areas.
Meanwhile, the immediate reaction of the Ministry of Interior has been provoked by specific NGOs - which, however, it does not name - which suggest that the conditions of detention of immigrants in the reception centers in Pournara and Kofinou are not appropriate. The representatives of the NGOs are protesting that we are keeping the immigrants "locked up" in the reception centers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs simply reminds us that despite the large number, so far at least, we have managed to have zero cases of coronavirus precisely because we have limited the migrants in the reception centers. "When the government announces and implements restrictive measures for the citizens of this country themselves, we do not understand the rationale for asking for freedom of movement for immigrants, many of whom are even illegal," he said in a statement issued yesterday.
He also clarified about the transfer of a small number of immigrants from the hotel units in which they lived for the last two years to the two reception centers, this was deemed necessary because inspections found that they did not comply with restrictive measures resulting in the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
"Our expectation is that as soon as conditions allow, we will repatriate those who come from countries where there is no question of security or danger to their lives," the interior ministry said.
Source: Liberal