Struggling with influx, Greece gets tough with asylum seekers

Greece will shut down overcrowded refugee camps on its outlying islands and replace them with more restrictive holding centers, authorities said on Wednesday.
Living conditions for thousands of people in camps on five Aegean islands have been decried by aid groups as appalling. The country is currently struggling with a resurgence in migrant and refugee arrivals.
Greece's newly-elected conservative government has vowed to tighten its borders and clear away bottlenecks in asylum vetting procedures. Parliament approved tougher asylum guidelines this month.
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said authorities would create "closed pre-departure centers," which would make it easier to control the movements of asylum seekers and prevent them from slipping across to the mainland undetected.
"They cannot circulate in the country without restrictions, and because a clear...