“It was really tough [living without documents in Greece]. I used to work in the black market, whatever I [could] find - 2 days, 3 days. It was usually hard work and work that not everybody does, I was doing it because I had to. I slept so much in the street, in gardens, in squares. It wasn’t easy.” Male respondent from Syria, 34 years (B) Lack of legal protection 32% of respondents reported fear of apprehension by the police and possible detention while living without documents in Greece. This led to severe restrictions on their daily life, with people reporting feeling too afraid to go outdoors, or limiting their movements to essential tasks like going to work or food shopping. Respondents reported feeling trapped and unsafe, and described this feeling of danger and precarity as permeating all aspects of their daily existence. A respondent from Algeria specifically explained that he was scared of being pushed back to Turkey during the time that he was waiting for his appointment at Diavata RIC, a period which lasted three months. He reported that his fear was heightened as several of his friends, also Algerian nationals, had been apprehended by police in Thessaloniki, and subsequently pushed back to Turkey over the land border. “I was stressed from what I saw happen to my friends,” he explained. These fears of arbitrary apprehension are well-founded. Police operations in Thessaloniki⁸³ and Athens targeting undocumented people have become systematic: according to Hellenic Police statistics 364 people were checked in targeted operations to identify illegally residing persons in Thessaloniki during October 2023.⁸⁴ Similar police “sweep” operations in Athens have been widely documented.⁸⁵ During the Thessaloniki international fair in September 2023, 686 people were stopped by police in a period of just two weeks.⁸⁶ This practice of discriminatory profiling heavily relies on racial, ethnic, national or religious characteristics. Testimonies of pushbacks and detention collected by BVMN frequently mention people being apprehended at or near major transport hubs⁸⁷ including bus stations⁸⁸. “I was scared to stay in my place because the police might come and pick me up. I was also scared to walk in the street. It was very stressful most of the time. To be undocumented is stressful all the time, whether you’re in your home or in the street, it’s the same.” Female respondent from Egypt, 23 years 28