Martin Daubney has questioned why Britain cannot implement Greece's stringent new immigration policies, arguing both nations operating under similar legal frameworks.
Speaking on GB News, the host asked: "How come the Greeks can say this when they're in the EU and the ECHR, yet at home we simply roll out the red carpet?"
His comments come after Greece's newly appointed immigration minister, Thanos Plevris, issued a stark warning to potential migrants from North Africa: "Don't come here. We will put you in jail or send you back home."
The Mediterranean nation has suspended asylum applications for three months and threatens unauthorised migrants with five-year prison sentences or immediate deportation.
GB NEWS
|Martin Daubney asked why we cannot do this is the UK?
Discussing this with Martin on GB News, former UK Border Force Director General Tony Smith said: "We are seeing a wind of change, aren’t we? In Europe, not just in Greece, but in a number of European countries which are swinging quite dramatically to the right.
"We’ve had 10,000 arrive in Crete recently. They’re saying the island is completely overwhelmed and 4,000 came just in the last week. What the new minister is saying is that he’s going to detain them all and deport them all which is exactly what I’ve been saying we need to do. We need to detain everybody and deport everybody to stop this. And that’s what he’s saying he’s going to do.
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"What worries me a little bit is whether he’s got the infrastructure to actually do it. I mean, if they can keep them on the island of Crete, that’s fine. But I think they’ll probably end up bringing them onto mainland Greece.
"Have they got enough detention and prison spaces there? If not, I’m concerned because once they’re on the mainland, they’re in the Schengen zone. That means they can wander all the way up to Calais.
"And we heard recently that about a third of those breaching the EU’s external border want to come to the UK. This is the first time we’ve seen a big rise. If you look at the Frontex figures, it’s across that Central Med route from Libya. The smugglers seem to have found a breakthrough there they’re using bigger boats now, around 300 people per vessel.
"So I really wish him well. I hope he manages to do this. But it will require a lot of work, It means planning, building, pouring concrete, and having the legal framework in place that says: ‘We are going to detain you and deport you and if you refuse to comply, we will imprison you.’
"Now, those are big policies and quite expensive ones but I think Greece has now decided this is something they’re going to have to do. Otherwise, we’ll continue to see scenes like this."
Martin responded: "All right, Tony, in simple terms, if the Greeks can do it, why can't we?"
He explained: "Our legal framework is broken for asylum. Once people arrive in Dover, then we are pretty powerless to do anything."
Thanos Plevris stated in the interview: "The Greeks, like the rest of Europe, want to help real refugees, but we will not be taken for fools."
GETTY
|Thanos Plevris has issued a warning to immigrants in Greece
Greece's parliament recently approved legislation suspending all asylum applications from North African arrivals for a minimum of three months, citing an "extraordinary" migration emergency.
The European Union has backed Athens, acknowledging the situation as "exceptional".
The new measures offer illegal arrivals two stark choices: imprisonment for five years or deportation to their country of origin.
Prison-style migrant facilities are being constructed on the mainland to accommodate future arrivals.