VI. CONCLUSION On 18 September 2021, Greece opened its first “closed” camp for migrants on the island of Samos to much pomp and circumstance.311 The new facility is the first of five that will open on the islands that are supposed to improve living conditions in the notoriously squalid EU Hotspots.312 However, unlike the former RICs, per their name, the new facilities will severely curb residents’ movement – according to media reports, asylum seekers are allowed to leave the Samos facility between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and have to go through lengthy security checks and procedures in order to enter and exit.313 On Kos, construction of the new closed facility is well underway, and authorities expect it to open by the end of 2021. Consequently, the detention practices on Kos are likely to change, as lawyers and advocates expect the authorities to place new arrivals in the new facility rather than in the PRDC. Although the exact future of detention on Kos remains unclear, what is clear is that the practices documented in this report have in many ways served as a precursor for the new closed facilities, as Greece seeks to curb asylum seekers’ liberty across all 5 of the EU Hotspots. In many ways then, this report serves as a glimpse into the future of how Greece plans to address migration on the Eastern Aegean islands. Although the Government has praised the new facilities’ conditions, the situation on Kos foresees a starkly different reality. As this report reveals, the practice of detaining asylum seekers automatically and for months on end is not only unlawful but has devastating physical and mental health consequences on migrants. Or, as Joud put it, “you shouldn’t detain someone who is trying to seek a better life and submit an asylum claim. This idea of putting refugees inside jail, this is inhuman.” 311 DW, Greece opens first refugee holding camp on Samos island (18 September 2021), available at: https://bit.ly/3EvnbKp. 312 Ibid. 313 Ibid. 69 DETENTION OF MIGRANTS ON THE ISLAND OF KOS