Undocumented migrant flows to Greece ‘have tripled’ minister says

The number of undocumented immigrants entering Greece is expected to triple by the end of the year, Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said Wednesday, blaming mounting strife in Syria for the growing influx.

Some 30,000 migrants are expected to have entered Greece illegally by the end of 2014, up from 9,000 in 2013, Varvitsiotis told a parliamentary committee.

He blamed the increase on the activities of Jihadists, noting that televised beheadings of victims and news of mass graves and mass attacks have led to “increased pressure on our borders.”