Migrants could be forced to eat poorer quality meals under plans to deter people from arriving in Greece on small boats. The country's firebrand migration minister, Thanos Plevris, has announced measures which he hopes will make Greece a less tempting destination for asylum seekers.

Gamaa Birir Mohamed Musa, a pharmacist from Sudan, lies on the floor of the exhibition hall in Agyia, Crete, with other migrants after fleeing Sudan over what he says was persecution of those working in medical trades.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s government said Wednesday it is temporarily suspending asylum applications for migrants arriving on the island of Crete, following a spike in arrivals from Libya.

Greek parliament approved a controversial amendment Friday to curb migrant influx from Libya. The amendment, proposed by the migration ministry, passed with the support of 177 lawmakers from the ruling central-right New Democracy party, the right-wing Greek Solution, as well as some independent lawmakers.

Greece has rescued hundreds of migrants off its southern islands of Gavdos and Crete in five separate incidents since Friday, its coastguard said on Sunday.

Hotspots,' originally conceived as migrant registration sites, have gradually turned into closed detention centers, such as on the island of Samos, where asylum seekers now live in isolation.

Greece's parliament has approved a three-month suspension of asylum claims for migrants arriving from Libya despite strong criticism from the United Nations refugee agency and Europe's top human rights official.