Greece Blocks 35,000 Immigrants, Plans to Deport Arrivals After March 1

Migrants, who are part of a group who arrived in the previous days after crossing part of the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece, wait for an identification process before being transported to the mainland on a Greek Navy vessel from the port of Mytilene, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, March 5, 2020. Elias Marcou/Reuters

KASTANIES, Greece/EDIRNE, Turkey—Greece has repulsed nearly 35,000 immigrants trying to cross onto its territory illegally since Turkey opened its border nearly a week ago, government sources said on March 5, as it prepares to deport hundreds of others who made it through.

Thousands of immigrants have made for Greece since Ankara said on Feb. 28 that it would let immigrants cross its borders into Europe, reneging on a commitment to hold them on its territory under a 2016 deal with the European Union.