Greek lawmakers have voted to temporarily halt asylum requests from North African migrants arriving by sea, a decision criticized by rights groups as illegal. The move follows a surge in migrants reaching Crete and marks a tightening of Greece’s migration policies under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government.

The Greek government announced on Wednesday that it intends to stop processing asylum applications for migrants arriving in the country by sea from Libya, for a period of at least three months. Migrants,

A cell phone video, taken a few days ago, on a beach in southern Crete, near the village of Lentas. "We're doing a report there," says the Greek author of the

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.

The suspension will apply only to migrants reaching Crete by sea. Migrants entering illegally will be detained, Mitsotakis said. “The Greek government is sending a firm message: