Resort to immigration detention Detention orders by category: 2025 7919 14601 47126 Return 2977 Deportation Asylum Screening Sources: Ministry of Citizen Protection, Reply to parliamentary question, 16 Mar 2026; Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Reply to parliamentary question, 27 Feb 2026 Immigration detention in Greece is formally imposed by the Hellenic Police through detention orders. However, immigration detention also takes the form of “freedom restriction” orders issued automatically and indiscriminately by the RIS during screening procedures in Reception and Identification Centres (RIC) and Closed Controlled Access Centres (CCAC).9 The Hellenic Police issued 25,497 detention orders in 2025. This year too, pre-removal detention in removal proceedings was imposed systematically and not as a last resort, as required by international, EU and domestic law. In fact, detention is an almost automatic adjunct of deportation orders in L 3386/2005 proceedings that derogate from Return Directive standards and are unlawfully and arbitrarily applied to refugees who seek and obtain asylum in Greece. 99.7% of deportation decisions were accompanied by a detention order, whereas 66.6% of return decisions pursuant to the Directive were coupled with detention. 9 Article 40(a) Greek Asylum Code. RSA POLICY NOTE │ IMMIGRATION DETENTION | MAR 2026 5