Is the indiscriminate detention of irregular migrants a cost-effective policy tool? A case-study of the Amygdaleza Pre-Removal Center* by Danai Angeli, Anna Triandafyllidou The Opening of Amygdaleza Pre-Removal Centre On 28 April 2012 the pre-removal center of Amygdaleza (‘Amygdaleza’) opened its doors as Greece’s first purpose-built camp for the detention of irregular migrants. Located at the foot of Parnitha mountain in a green landscape of around 30,000m2, surrounded by a wired fence and equipped with 250 containers — the same ones that had been used to accommodate earthquake survivors in the past — Amygdaleza promises to its 2,000 detainees “exemplary” facilities and “living conditions fully consistent with human value”.1 With daily cleaning services, food catering of high quality, access to an open yard, stand-by counseling and medical staff Amygdaleza sets — at least on paper — uncommonly high standards for a country that has been publicly condemned by the CPT for its detention facilities.2 The Greek Government has explained that reasons of broader public interest dictated the immediate commencement of the operation of such a facility. “The significantly low return rate, due to difficulties and delays in the issuance of the necessary travel documents” had hampered Greece's effort to implement an effective asylum and migration policy and successfully safeguard the EU external borders. There was thus a compelling need for “increased capacity in pre- removal centres”.3 In the future, similar centres are going to be established elsewhere in the country, depending on migration flows. Their establishment forms part of the National Action plan on Migration and Asylum Management which has been approved by the European Commission. 4 “Our aim * Special thanks go to Dr. Angeliki Dimitriadi for her critical comments on an earlier version of this policy paper and for her contribution to the final editing. 1 2 3 4 See Communication from Greece concerning the case of M.S.S. against Belgium and Greece (Application No. 30696/09), Memorandum DH-DD(2012)1157, available at https://wcd.coe.int/com.instranet.InstraServlet?command=com.instranet.CmdBlobGet&Instra netImage=2204818&SecMode=1&DocId=1964830&Usage=2 . See European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, “Public Statement concerning Greece”, 15 March 2011, available at http://www.cpt.coe.int/documents/grc/2011-10-inf-eng.htm . See Ministry of Public Order and Citizen Protection, “Greek Action Plan on Asylum and Migration Management, Executive Summary Progress Report January- May 2013”, available at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/libe/dv/p4_progressreport _/p4_progressreport_en.pdf ; see also Statement of Minister of Public Order and Citizen Protection of Greece, 101st Session of the IOM Council, Geneva, 27 November 2012, “Greek Policies on Migration and Asylum and the strategic cooperation with the International Organisation for Migration” available at http://www.iom.int/files/live/sites/iom/files/AboutIOM/governing-bodies/en/council/101/Nikolaos-Dendias-Greek-Minister-of-Public-Order-andCitizen-Protection.pdf . See Communication from Greece concerning the case of M.S.S. against Belgium and Greece (Application No. 30696/09), Memorandum DH-DD(2012)1157, available at https://wcd.coe.int/com.instranet.InstraServlet?command=com.instranet.CmdBlobGet&Instra