Greece’s island ‘hotspots’ initially functioned as places of first reception and registration for irregular arrivals by sea to Europe. But since the EU-Turkey deal was sealed in March 2016 they have become places of containment, as the islands have been shut down to prevent onward movement to the mainland. Many NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Médecins Sans Frontières, have documented the inhumane conditions prevailing in the Greek hotspots. And while individuals were only supposed to inhabit the hotspots temporarily, just long enough to be selected for return to Turkey and/or processed to be able to move on to the mainland, the dominant feeling for the people there now is being stuck. There is no guarantee at all that they will leave the hotspots any time soon. Waiting is a recurring concept when asylum seekers talk about their lives in the camps. They wait for food, for the toilet, for a doctor's visit, for their medication, for a call from their lawyer, to be heard by officials, or to be transferred to the mainland. Waiting, coupled with feeling stuck, leads to frustration, anger and anxiety.
In these liminal spaces, i.e. places of transition where the normal rules on either side do not apply, asylum seekers are expected to wait through containment with limited or no information on the asylum process, its length, or the likelihood of eventually receiving protection. No state is obliged to take responsibility for the people inside them. As such, inhabitants’ aspirations to migrate to where they can find protection are forcefully contained as well. This situation of prolonged waiting and insecurity exacts a psychological and physical toll on the people experiencing it, increasing their overall level of vulnerability.
That said, migrants stuck on the Greek islands all have strong aspirations to get out of there. And even when this isn’t currently possible, passively waiting is not their only option. They constantly resist the liminality imposed upon them by continuing with their daily lives, interacting with other actors in the hotspot, and developing all sorts of coping strategies. Three particularly important strategies are: moving onwards via irregular means; increasing vulnerability in order to be transferred to the mainland; starting a new journey after voluntary return/deportation.
