In cooperation with FRONTEX, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, the Cypriot Police returned 14 third-country nationals on 22 February 2025. The persons departed on a joint flight organised by the Italian authorities with the participation of the Cypriot Police.

This is Cyprus' second participation in joint Frontex operations in 2025. Official figures show that 2,056 people have left the country under forced and voluntary return procedures since the beginning of the year, compared to 1,639 people in the same period last year.

Another operation coordinated by FRONTEX and the German authorities, with the participation of the Cypriot police, is planned for today. The aim of this operation is to repatriate ten more people.

Police and immigration authorities are currently continuing their efforts to maximize the number of returns, the statement said.

Cyprus deported almost 9,500 migrants in 2024!

Refugee Island of Cyprus - Business with Migrants

The small Mediterranean republic of Cyprus has to accept the most asylum applications in the EU in relation to its population. Many migrants flee across the so-called green border via northern Turkey, a lucrative business for people smugglers.

The huge Pournara refugee camp is located just a few kilometers from the Cypriot capital Nicosia. It opened four years ago and was planned to accommodate around 1,000 migrants. By the end of last year, there were already twice as many, according to the EU Commission.

There is no easier, cheaper and safer route into the EU for people from Africa or Asia, reports an EU migration official. The island is a "junction of a new, unique immigration movement".

The so-called green border divides Cyprus into a Greek Cypriot part and a Turkish part. Anyone who manages to cross it from north to south is in the EU - the dream destination for many refugees. And even though the Republic of Cyprus is not a member of the Schengen area, many see the country as a kind of stepping stone to Germany, France or Italy.

A uniform regulation would have to be found and, above all, the member states (including Germany) would have to comply with these regulations.
In a letter to the EU Parliament it was pointed out that these regulations must be applied uniformly.

In 2023, 11,820 refugees officially submitted a so-called first asylum application, of which 7,425 were rejected and 749 were accepted. 8,388 submitted a second application, of which 2,440 were rejected and 15 were accepted. Many of the rejected asylum seekers are then deported.

However, the number of unreported cases is very high and it is assumed that between 2015 and 2023 more than 90,000 refugees have entered Cyprus and are currently staying in Cyprus, although illegal refugees are not yet included in the statistics.

In 2024, 202,062 immigrants lived in Cyprus, or around 15.0 percent of the total population. These are all residents who live permanently in the country but were born in another country. The number also includes recognized refugees, but not asylum seekers. The figures are based on the results of censuses and on projections by the United Nations Population Division. The data is only collected approximately every 5 years.

As long as asylum remains an asset for economic refugees in Germany, Austria and France, the current numbers of refugees from poorer countries will not change, so a solution to this problem must be found







Author: MF_Rdaktion