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There is no illegal human being in this world.

In November last year, the European Union’s border police
sent emergency forces (Frontex) to help guard Greece’s borders. Most illegal migrants enter Greece through its 200km border with Turkey. Between 70 to 90% of irregular migrants enter Europe through Greece and the country is struggling to cope. All the detention centers in the area are full and the government has backlog of at least 60,000 asylum cases. Those migrants that make it across the River Evros or past the heavily patrolled 12.5km land section of the border, walk through acres of marshy land, wheat and asparagus fields until they reach an inviting village. Many of them walk for hours through mud and swamps, and usually at daybreak, following the train track south towards Alexandroupolis. Other migrants seek shelter in abandoned buildings. On the way they discard passports and ID in order to say they are from countries Greece cannot deport them to, like Afghanistan, Palestine or Somalia.
In my eyes, Evros is the incorruptible Greece that hasn’t yet vanished, the hospitality of the inhabitants of the border with the earthly eyes, the watery virgin plains of the border and the courage, which along with aspiration and hope is deeply implanted in the deserted human heart…

Maro Kouri

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690 Most illegal migrants enter Greece through its 200km border with Turkey. Those that make it across the River Evros or past the heavily patrolled 12.5km land section of the border, walk through acres of marshy land, wheat and asparagus fields until they reach an inviting village. Many of them walk for hours through mud and swamps, and usually at daybreak, following the train track south towards Alexandroupolis. Other migrants seek shelter in abandoned buildings. On the way they discard passports and ID in order to say they are from countries Greece cannot deport them to, like Afghanistan, Palestine or Somalia///A mud truck leading from the river Evros to the Greek village Pythio is one of the passages for illegal immigrants passing into Greece © Maro Kouri 684 Most illegal migrants enter Greece through its 200km border with Turkey. Those that make it across the River Evros or past the heavily patrolled 12.5km land section of the border, walk through acres of marshy land, wheat and asparagus fields until they reach an inviting village. Many of them walk for hours through mud and swamps, and usually at daybreak, following the train track south towards Alexandroupolis. Other migrants seek shelter in abandoned buildings. On the way they discard passports and ID in order to say they are from countries Greece cannot deport them to, like Afghanistan, Palestine or Somalia///A typical Greek car accident memorial on the edge of a field backing the Greek border © Maro Kouri 685 Most migrants enter Greece through its 200km border with Turkey. Those that make it across the River Evros or past the heavily patrolled land border, walk through acres of marshy land, wheat and asparagus fields until they reach an inviting village. Many walk for hours through mud and swamps, and usually at daybreak, following the train track towards Alexandrapoulis, in south Evros. © Maro Kouri 686 Most migrants enter Greece through its 200km border with Turkey. Those that make it across the River Evros or past the heavily patrolled land border, walk through acres of marshy land, wheat and asparagus fields until they reach an inviting village. Many walk for hours through mud and swamps, and usually at daybreak, following the train track towards Alexandrapoulis, in south Evros///outside Vrusilli village a few kilometres from the border. © Maro Kouri 687 Ahmed Zamir, 28, arrives in Soufli around 7am with a friend. They crossed the river Evros during the night, and then walked for 12 hours. He is from Palestine and wants to know if the police will deport him if goes to the police station © Maro Kouri 688 Mustafa is from Morocco. He arrived in Soufli at 6 in the morning, his feet are wet and muddy after walking through the fields from the border. He passed the river Evros (the natural border between Greece and Turkey) with a plastic boat with many other immigrants and 'their' smuggler. He doesn’t want to be caught by police, but he wants to go directly to Athens to work. © Maro Kouri 689 Esham 20years old is from Morocco. He arrived in Soufli at 6 in the morning, his feet are wet and muddy after walking through the fields from the border. He passed the river Evros (the natural border between Greece and Turkey) with a plastic boat with many other immigrants and 'their' smuggler. He doesn’t want to be caught by police, but he wants to go directly to Athens to work. © Maro Kouri 691 Frontex police © Maro Kouri 695 The EU's border police Frontex at work on patrol. Frontex is made up of police officers from all over Europe. One officer complained that there were very few officers from the UK. © Maro Kouri 696 Frontex guards arrest 22-year-old Mohammed on a cold January morning in Nea Vyssa, northern Evros, where temperatures plunge during the winter. The village is a 10-minute drive from the 12.5km land border between Greece and Turkey, where 26,000 migrants passed through last year. Mohammed was found wandering the streets. He says he is from Palestine. Most migrants say they are from countries like Palestine, Afghanistan and Somalia so they won’t be deported © Maro Kouri 697 Frontex guards arrest 22-year-old Mohammed on a cold January morning in Nea Vyssa, northern Evros, where temperatures plunge during the winter. The village is a 10-minute drive from the 12.5km land border between Greece and Turkey, where 26,000 migrants passed through last year. Mohammed was found wandering the streets. He says he is from Palestine. Most migrants say they are from countries like Palestine, Afghanistan and Somalia so they won’t be deported © Maro Kouri 698 Frontex guards arrest 22-year-old Mohammed on a cold January morning in Nea Vyssa, northern Evros, where temperatures plunge during the winter. The village is a 10-minute drive from the 12.5km land border between Greece and Turkey, where 26,000 migrants passed through last year. Mohammed was found wandering the streets. He says he is from Palestine. Most migrants say they are from countries like Palestine, Afghanistan and Somalia so they won’t be deported © Maro Kouri 699 © Maro Kouri 702 In the past, the UN and other major NGOs have all condemned the state of Greece's detention centres. Cells are overcrowded and dirty, and women and children are forced to sleep in the same room as men. MSF intervened last November offering medical care and cleaning kits to detained migrants in Evros. Reveka Papadopoulou, director of MSF Greece, said conditions are "cruel and humiliating" and have no precedent in civilised Europe///A terrified immigrant looks out of a packed cell in Tyhero detension center © Maro Kouri 703 In the past, the UN and other major NGOs have all condemned the state of Greece's detention centres. Cells are overcrowded and dirty, and women and children are forced to sleep in the same room as men. MSF intervened last November offering medical care and cleaning kits to detained migrants in Evros. Reveka Papadopoulou, director of MSF Greece, said conditions are "cruel and humiliating" and have no precedent in civilised Europe///a young boy looks out of Tychero detention centre. © Maro Kouri 704 This woman from Congo has just been released from the Fylakio Detention center where the conditions are awful. She is desperate to get on the next bus Athens © Maro Kouri 705 One Afghan family from Herat are pleased to be leaving Filakio detention centre, where they say the food was bad and "Ali Baba" (thief) stole their possessions. One of the older sons, Ali (22) says he wants to go to Germany. He paid about $2,000 to a smuggler for a "ticket" to Greece. Now he is buying a bus ticket to Athens for him and for his family © Maro Kouri 706 One Afghan family from Herat are pleased to be leaving Filakio detention centre, where they say the food was bad and "Ali Baba" (thief) stole their possessions. The mother holds the dollars to buy the bus-ticket to "paradise" of Athens. © Maro Kouri 707 © Maro Kouri 708 One Afghan family from Herat are pleased to be leaving Filakio detention centre, where they say the food was bad and "Ali Baba" (thief) stole their possessions. One of the older sons, Ali (22) says he wants to go to Germany. The youngest member of the family, 6-year-old Fatima waits for the bus to leave for "paradise" of Athens ... © Maro Kouri 709 16-year-old Shafqatrehman found the journey from Pakistan to Greece tough. He came with two of his brother, Zulgarnain (19) and Wahwdmure (23), who are more nonchalant about the trip. They come from a poor family in Pakistan and hope to work in Europe. © Maro Kouri 710 16-year-old Shafqatrehman found the journey from Pakistan to Greece tough///he is pleased to be out of Tychero detention centre and holds tight his ticket to Athens. © Maro Kouri 711 Arhodis, a Greek fisherman from the town of Didimoteicho is one of the few people with permission to row on the River Evros. He says he regularly used to see migrants crossing on inflatable boats, though numbers have dropped recently. © Maro Kouri 712 Vasilis, a butcher in Sofli, prepares meat for his shop at dawn. He says often at this time he sees streams of migrants passing by his shop. He Sometimes gives them cuts of cold meat to eat. © Maro Kouri 713 Two villagers from Nea Vyssa waiting outside the local train station famous for being a stop for migrants on their way into Greece. This morning the old couple are alone, though they said they never felt threatened by the influx of migrants to their village. © Maro Kouri 714 Christos Neradzakis – he often sees migrants walking through the fields backing his home just outside of the village Vrusili. His daughter, Christine, who lives next door, found a migrant completely naked outside her home on New Year’s Eve. She offered him food and clothes © Maro Kouri 715 Most illegal migrants enter Greece through its 200km border with Turkey. Those that make it across the River Evros or past the heavily patrolled 12.5km land section of the border, walk through acres of marshy land, wheat and asparagus fields until they reach an inviting village. Many of them walk for hours through mud and swamps, and usually at daybreak, following the train track south towards Alexandroupolis. Other migrants seek shelter in abandoned buildings. On the way they discard passports and ID in order to say they are from countries Greece cannot deport them to, like Afghanistan, Palestine or Somalia///Outside Didimoticho town passes the river that flows from Bulgaria to Evros © Maro Kouri 716 Migrants are blamed for breaking into this old gas station, which has been abdandoned for more than one year, just outside Vrusilli. As well as scattered broken glass, there is a tattered passport for Iran and some writing in Arabic on a piece of A4 paper/ © Maro Kouri 717 A discarded passport from Iran. It is likely that this particularly man will say he is from Afghanistan, in order to be granted asylum in Greece. However Greece's refugee recognition rate is actually less than 1% - the lowest in the EU. © Maro Kouri
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