Greece, in common with many member states of the EU, has been aggressively enlarging its detention capacity (Cornelisse, 2011). That it has been doing so under conditions of economic collapse, and in the teeth of vigorous international criticism, is worth exploring. In part, the timing of the expanding detention estate reflects the broader context of migration. Between 1993 and 2008, for instance, the number of irregular immigrants in Greece quadrupled (Chindea at al., 2008). However, whereas previously much of Greek society was either tolerant or indifferent to this population, since the economic crisis of 2008, matters have changed dramatically. More recently, most discussions of mobility have become marked by a toxic combination of securitization and racism. Politicians of all stripes, not just members of far right parties like Golden Dawn14, blame irregular migrants for rising crime, urban degradation, and widespread economic hardship endured by citizens. In the lead-up to the May and June 2012 national elections, immigration detention and border control more generally, became a lightening rod for public opinion, deployed as a cynical political tool to demonstrate the government’s determination to salvage Greek national pride. In a centralized system like Greece, such politics, perhaps inevitably, has been particularly focused on Athens. Following revelations that around 5,000 migrants were living in an estimated 500 abandoned buildings in the city, and that more than 2,000 other properties occupied by migrants were unfit for human habitation, the 14 ‘Golden Dawn’ (Xrisi Avgi), secured 19 seats in the Parliament in the June 2012 national elections, for a first time in its history. Its programmatic statements included virulent posters promising to ‘get rid of the dirt off the city streets’ and called for ‘Greece only for Greeks’. There is also some evidence that suggest that members of the party belong to groups that organize street patrolling and protect citizens by carrying out violent attacks on migrants. It is estimated that 50% of police officers voted for this party. 6