3. Results
Crossing the Aegean Sea might seem like a short geographical trip but turned out to be
a deadly passage. Individuals are often more than the allowed number per boat, not
always given access to safety jackets, and left alone for hours in the water. Once they
arrive, locals or volunteers, providing first aid assistance, instantly make them criminals,
maintaining a circle of illegality and irregularity. Strict security and surveillance
techniques framed as “regularity and classificatory technologies” (Rozakou, 2017: 39),
adding to sometimes illegal border controls and authorities’ (in)actions represent the first
consequences of asylum and migration policies, resulting in traumas, various types of
violence, and cases of human trafficking (Crawley et al., 2016: 33-35). Greek coast guard
authorities have also been accused of pushing asylum seekers back into Turkish water
or not providing first aid assistance.
Interview partner 1 told me that he also came by boat from Turkey to Lesvos; “I came
with the boat. It was so difficult. It was cold, and I was in the water for four hours.”
(Interview partner 1., 17.02.2020). Interview partner 2’s statement is similar, claiming
that the water is ‘too dangerous’ but that people still come (Interview partner 2.,
19.02.2020).
Once individuals arrive in Reception and Identification Centers, such as Moria camp, they
are fingerprinted, photographed, and all kinds of personal questions are asked based on
the Dublin Regulation, making it the most relevant information in the state’s eyes
(Rozakou, 2017: 37-39). They are informed about their rights, restricted from the
beginning, and are forced to wait for an undefined time.
Drawing on Foucault’s modern understanding of power relations and the political entity
refugee camps represent, biopolitics and governmentality measures are forcing rhythm
upon the daily life of children, women, and men. Although policies have been
implemented to assist individuals in need, provide a dignified life, and guarantee
fundamental human rights, in practice, they look different and has been widely criticized
for their ineffectiveness. Inhabitants of Eleonas and Moria camps have often reported to
me about wrong or were not provided with a translator during interviews. Moreover,
errors in documents, and understaffed asylum units, delay their applications without
considering daily and structural discrimination and racism (Felix, 2020). Rozakou argues
that coast guards, police officers, and general street bureaucrats were sustaining
individuals’ irregularity by not recording everything, practicing irregular bureaucracy,
creating a ‘bureaucratic limbo’ (Rozakou, 2017: 40-42).
Out of my five conversations with asylum seekers, only one received refugee status,
while others faced difficulties due to chaotic and extensive asylum procedures. A
participant explained that when he arrived in Lesvos on a boat carrying 52 other
individuals, including his wife and two young sons, they were brought directly to Moria
to be identified, registered, and informed about the camps’ rules. Some days later, he
went with his family to the EASO office as they had an appointment there, yet he was
mysteriously told that only he had not been registered. He felt distraught and perplexed,
stating, “but how is this even possible? But they told me it is my problem, not theirs”
(Interview partner 5., 25.02.2020). Because of this error, he had to wait 45 days longer
to have a new appointment with EASO workers that, seemingly uninterested, blamed