Greek lawmakers voted on Friday to temporarily stop processing asylum requests from migrants arriving from North Africa by sea in a bid to reduce arrivals into Europe's southernmost tip, a move rights groups and opposition parties have called illegal.

He added that Greece was "sending a message of determination... to all traffickers and all their potential customers that the money they spend may be completely wasted, because it will be difficult to reach Greece by sea.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Wednesday that Greece will pause processing asylum applications from people arriving from North Africa as the nation faces a surge in migrants. “With legislation that will be submitted to the parliament tomorrow,