154 Jutta Lauth Bacas one can recognize the serious problems with regard to their accommodation and proper reception. Only after 2008, when border controls where tightened and the local coastguard received logistical reinforcement by a FRONTEX mission of the EU, the number of clandestine arrivals dropped. But although the figure was reduced in 2009 by one third in comparison to the year before, the total number of boat people arriving on Lesbos in 2009 was still higher than those arriving in 2007, clearly showing that strict border control is not a solution to irregular migration. The reception of these irregular boat migrants on the island is managed by the local Greek authorities in a specific framework set by national laws and regulations, international agreements, and European approaches towards irregular migration.20 But what really happens on the local level is the question in focus of the following anthropological analysis. Based on participant observation and fieldwork on the island of Lesbos, the following chapters shall analyse the reception of undocumented migrants on the Greek-Turkish border in more detail.21 During my fieldwork on Lesbos I collected first-hand data on various social sites, went to remote beaches where clandestine migrants arrive, crossed the strait between Greece and Turkey by boat, and visited the Detention Centre close to the island’s capital several times. I had the chance to join the night shift of the Hellenic Coast Guard patrolling along the sea border, and I interviewed many representatives of the local authorities as well as newly arrived boat migrants to shed light on what exactly is happening in the process of clandestine sea border crossing (which usually takes place at night and hidden from the eyes of the observer). First, the question of how undocumented migrants cross the maritime border between the Turkish mainland and the Greek border island of Lesbos will be discussed. Under the specific local conditions, sea border crossing involves a quick boat trip lasting from several minutes (by using a powerful speed boat) to several hours (in those cases where boat migrants have to row an inflatable dinghy). Nevertheless, these short voyages are often dangerous due to bad weather conditions and the miserable conditions of the vessels used for border crossing. Overloading them is a common practice increasing the risks involved in the trip. Next to the difficulties related to the means of transport, many clandestine migrants put their own life at risk due to a common practice of sinking their in- 20 21 The term “border regime” is used by social scientist to characterize these overlapping structures of control at international borders ruled by regulations of international, European and national institutions. See Hess/Tsianos (2004) and Roemhild (2006). See Lauth Bacas (2006: 100 ff.) and Lauth Bacas (2008b).