According to Greek legislation, immigration detention shall not exceed a maximum of six months27 and shall only be used in cases of danger to public order and with a view to deportation (Law 3386/2005, Article 76). However, the state can do neither at the moment. Once detained, most individuals, including trafficking and smuggling victims and asylum seekers, are given an administrative deportation order. Nonetheless, the number of official deportations from Greece is small compared to the number of persons arrested and detained for illegal entry or presence. For example, in 2008, 20,555 deportations took place out of 81,741 issued orders. Significant challenges to Greece’s ability to deport undocumented foreigners have been identified. Such obstacles include low cooperation between diplomatic authorities of the migrant’s country and Greece, problems in identifying nationality, difficulties in implementing the return agreement with Turkey28 and lack of diplomatic representation of some countries in Greece (e.g. Somalia, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone). The number of arrests has risen to unexpected proportions, while the capacity of police stations and detention centres remains small. Consequently, irregular migrants are now released arbitrarily in a move that ironically mirrors their original arrest and detention. Upon release, they are issued with a police notice (‘white card’) insisting they leave the country voluntarily within 30 days, even though this departure is legally impossible for irregular migrants. This card is almost always in Greek and is not accompanied by any information in their language. It is sometimes mistakenly considered an identity card or a travel document. In essence this white card is seen as a ticket from the border to Athens and then to another country. Thus, the majority remain in the country illegally; released only to be arrested, detained again and issued yet another white card. This is the reality for most detainees at the airport. They are arrested attempting to leave Greece, they 27. 28. 38 remain in detention for 6 months and they are then released with the white card which gives them the opportunity to try again. Some of those who make it to Europe are later returned to Greece under the Dublin II Regulation. So, irregular migrants at the airport cannot move onward because of EU law and cannot move back home. They remain ‘stored’ in Greece, in detention under terrible conditions or on the streets with the legitimate fear of racist attacks. They have no possibility of obtaining legal status because of the country’s antiquated immigration system and recent changes that call for a reconsideration of all residence permits and asylum claims. This vicious cycle takes irregular migrants in Greece from the border to the inhospitable streets of Athens in a quest for an opportunity to leave Greece. They then go to a detention centre before they are pushed out the back door on the streets again. This shows the path of illegality on which irregular migrants are trapped while in Greece. Conclusion The walls of the airport detention centre are covered with posters of the advertising campaign ‘Live your myth in Greece’ and beautiful pictures of scenic places on Greek islands. The irony is painful. Not only will the detainees never visit these places but no myth awaits them in Greece either. On the contrary, most will be consumed by the Greek immigration maze, with no way out and no thread that can lead them where they want to be. Immigrants who want to stay in Greece are forced to leave due to the current economic situation of the country and the apparent rise of xenophobia and racist attacks, and those who want to leave are trapped here. Greece does not want the role it has, nor do immigrants want to stay there. However, they get stuck in the country with no realistic options. The maximum period of detention was increased in 2009 from 3 to 6 months, with the possibility of extending it to 12 months under special circumstances, like long prison sentences (Law 3386/2005, as amended by 3801/2009). The new Minister of Public Protection, as part of the new operation, has asked detention centre directors to apply the 12 month period to all detainees. This is the government’s last resort to force detainees to ask for ‘voluntary’ departure from Greece. For a report on this issue see, Human Rights Watch (2008). Prison Service Journal Issue 205