Greece’s Migration Minister Thanos Plevris announced on Monday (local time) the implementation of a measure that will require migrants with rejected asylum claims to wear ankle monitors.
The measure is set to be enforced before the end of the year under reforms that would criminalize noncompliance with deportation orders.
It is part of planned measures to speed up deportations.
“The use of electronic monitoring will make it clear that the options have narrowed,” Plevris told ERT radio.
The tougher regulations, including mandatory jail terms for defying deportation orders, will be submitted to parliament next month after a summer delay caused by a spike in migrant arrivals from Libya to the island of Crete.
Plevris said electronic monitoring would be enforced during a 30-day compliance period granted to migrants after asylum claims are rejected and appeals exhausted.
He added that the government is also considering a deportation bonus of 2,000 euros for those who willingly comply.
Hard-line migration policies introduced by Greece’s government, including a recent ban on asylum claims for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa, have drawn criticism from the Council of Europe and human rights groups.
