The Hellenic Coast Guard security building in Heraklion is used to host the Security Department of the Heraklion Coast Guard in Crete and has been used since December 2024 to detain people arriving by boat to the islands of Gavdos and Crete for short periods of time. It is located next to a building known as the old ‘Psygeio’ (‘Refrigerator’). The former Coast Guard security building has a yellow facade and has been described by actors on site as a facility designed for the storage of goods. Only minimal details on the conditions inside the facility are available as most journalists and solidarity groups are not granted access. However most reports, including from port officials, conclude that the site is unfit for accommodation purposes.

Undignified living conditions

The NGO Thalassa of Solidarity has continuously denounced the treatment of people detained in the facility and the conditions they face. Thalassa of Solidarity and the Hellenic Red Cross shared pictures showing that people held in the facility sleep on yoga mats and in overcrowded conditions with thin blankets. Bars are installed on the windows, heightening the carceral atmosphere in the facility.

Neglect by the Ministry of Migration

In early 2025, the Deputy Mayor for Social Policy of Heraklion Georgios Tsagkarakis stated that the municipality of Heraklion had received no communication from the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum regarding the establishment of a purpose-built facility to house new arrivals on the island. In May 2025, the Cretan Port Authority Association sent an open letter to the Municipality of Heraklion and the Region of Crete to request their involvement in finding a more suitable space to temporarily accommodate people. In mid-October 2025, the Heraklion Port Organisation was still bearing the costs of providing food and hygiene items.

Overcrowding and and extended periods of detention

According to civil society groups present on the island, people are de facto detained in the building without being issued with a formal detention order, a clear violation of EU and Greek legal frameworks, both on reception (Directive 2013/33/EU; Law 4939/2022) and return (Directive 2008/115/EC; Law 3386/2005; Law 5226/2025). By early July 2025, when arrivals to Crete and Gavdos peaked, the facility’s population rose to approximately 250 people. At the end of August, solidarity groups reported that 104 people had been de facto detained in the facility for about 20 days, with no contact with the outside world apart from interactions through barred windows with local self-organised groups. This is despite the facility being intended for stays up to 24 hours only, as stated by the Union of Coast Guards of Crete. At the end of November 2025, over 200 people were held in cramped conditions in the facility.