Official: 25,000 asylum-seekers kept out of Greece in August

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek government official says authorities have prevented some 25,000 people from entering the country illegally in less than a month. He accused neighbor and regional rival Turkey of channeling asylum-seekers toward Greece. That figure is more than three times the total number of asylum-seekers who have made it into Greece so far this year, according to data from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR. Greece’s minister for public order said Wednesday the pressure at the land and sea borders with Turkey “is developing into a very particular threat to Greece’s integrity and security.” He spoke a day after the government decided to extend a fence along the land border with Turkey to deal with increased immigration flows.