Greece says Turkish ‘student visa’ loophole used for trafficking

Greece urged Turkey on Tuesday to do more to thwart irregular crossings of migrants into its territory, saying recent arrivals, particularly from Somalia, appeared to be coordinated.

More than half of arrivals on the Greek island of Lesvos from November 1 were from Somalia, whose nationals crossed from Turkey, Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis told a news briefing.

"Currently there are between two and three thousand migrants on the Turkish west coast," Mitarachi said.

Of a total of 214 migrants reaching Lesbos, 142 were from Somalia, he said.

Somalians were obtaining student or healthcare visas for Turkey, and from there, with assistance from criminal gangs, attempting to cross into Greece, he said.

"These people are essentially arriving legally in Turkey, for the express purpose of illegal trafficking into Europe," the Greek official said.

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