FORGOTTEN Administratively detained irregular migrants and asylum seekers of an increasing population who would no longer be transiting, but would stay in the country. In that respect, December 2015 was a turning point for administrative detention, as from then on the authorities started to detain nationals of North African countries (from the so-called Maghreb). Thus, hundreds of people were taken to the Pre-Removal Detention Center of Corinth and to the Aliens’ Division Detention Center of Salonica. This shift was followed by the arrest of nationals of Pakistan and Bangladesh in early March 2016. At the same time, the authorities started to arrest also nationals of other countries – including Afghans (who are likely to meet the criteria for refugee status) holding expired police documents. Thus, the number of detainees increased significantly, despite the fact that the situation of the detention system –in terms of facilities and provision of essential services – remained problematic. March 2016 was the second turning point, as two very significant developments took place; the closing of the northern borders of our country and of the Balkan route, and the EU-Turkey Joint Statement. All the people who had arrived on the Greek islands before the 20th of March were transferred to the mainland. Most of them were taken to open refugee camps, while some others to detention centers. All the people who arrived on the islands after the 20th of March have been arrested and detained in the so-called Hot Spots (which have been subsequently institutionalized as Reception and Identification Centers), following a procedure strongly criticized by civil society organizations as arbitrary. 3 After the completion of the first reception procedures, those with a pending asylum application have been released under the restrictive condition of mandatory stay on the islands. For the approximately 50.000 people in various camps of the mainland –many of whom hold expired police notes– the authorities have followed the procedure of pre-registration of their asylum applications. However, it is estimated that a significant number of these people, amounting to over 10.000, have not been pre-registered and therefore lack legal documents. 3 According to the Press Release of the Asylum Campaign (31/3/2016) «the refugees and migrants who are registered in the islands of the Aegean Sea after the 20th of March 2016 are detained in the so-called hot-spots. Until now, no decision regarding their detention has been delivered to them and therefore, their detention is arbitrary and illegal». Available at: http://www.aitima.gr/images/aitima/documents/2016-03-31-Deltio-typou-Kampanias-Asylo-GR.pdf (5 September 2016) 11