With geography putting Greece on the defensive against this flow, it has reacted forcefully. For many who land here, the door is slamming firmly shut. They are arrested and put in detention for three months. Most are then ordered to leave the country within 30 days. Many of those who elude the authorities and try to arrange to be smuggled farther into Europe are caught and sent back to Greece. “Greece was not ready to accept such vast numbers of immigrants,” Gatsas said.

Most Greeks, with a history of hardship and emigration, are still broadly sympathetic to the migrants. But the interior ministry has to deal with policy and policing problems, and international criticism is mounting.

In April, Greece lost a case brought by the European Commission at the European Court of Justice, which criticised Greece for not providing adequate access to asylum. Under European Union rules, the first country an immigrant reaches is supposed to deal with asylum requests. Other European countries contend that Greece’s failure to address the issue adequately merely shifts the problem to them.

An asylum seeker in his 50s, who said he had made the crossing to Samos “in record time of 40 minutes” in the summer, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his family in Iran, said he had followed the advice of his Turkish smuggler and cut up his inflatable dinghy when he landed. “If the police catch you and see no boat, they say, ‘Come with me,’” he said, lessening the chances of quick deportation.

... contd.