As part of EU deal, Greece sends first group of migrants back to Turkey

Migrants board a boat bound for Turkey in Greece on Monday.
(Image credit: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)

On Monday, two boats filled with 131 migrants left the Greek island of Lesbos for Dikili, Turkey, under a European Union deal that aims to slow down the flow of refugees and migrants into Europe.

A spokeswoman for Frontex, the EU border agency, said most of the passengers were from Pakistan and Bangladesh. The deal maintains that all migrants and refugees who come to Greece illegally will be sent back to Turkey, and in return the EU will give the country more money to take care of the refugees. Additionally, for every Syrian refugee deported because they did not apply for asylum or their claim was rejected, the EU will accept another Syrian refugee who has made a legitimate request, the BBC reports. The Turkish interior minister said non-Syrians will be deported back to their home country.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.