Gamaa Birir Mohamed Musa, a pharmacist from Sudan, lies on the floor of the exhibition hall in Agyia, Crete, with other migrants after fleeing Sudan over what he says was persecution of those working in medical trades.

Greece on Friday enforced a three-month freeze on asylum claims from migrants arriving by boat from North Africa, to stem a surge from Libya that the government has called an "invasion". Plevris -- formerly a member of the far-right LAOS party and now part of Mitsotakis's New Democracy party -- has called the recent influx an "invasion from North Africa".

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.

Hotspots,' originally conceived as migrant registration sites, have gradually turned into closed detention centers, such as on the island of Samos, where asylum seekers now live in isolation.

Greece is suspending asylum requests from North Africa and is considering less appealing meals in migrant camps, drawing criticism for adopting far-right tactics amid a surge in arrivals from Libya.

Greece on Thursday unveiled a series of tougher measures aimed at curbing the arrival of migrants, following an earlier announcement by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Migrants could be forced to eat poorer quality meals under plans to deter people from arriving in Greece on small boats. The country's firebrand migration minister, Thanos Plevris, has announced measures which he hopes will make Greece a less tempting destination for asylum seekers.