Independent — The first two boats deporting would-be refugees back to Turkey have set sail from Greece as part of the EU migrant transfer deal to limit the numbers arriving in Europe.
A spokesperson for the EU border protection agency said the process involving the first 135 migrants, mostly from Pakistan and Bangladesh, had gone smoothly.
The failed asylum-seekers were expected to be returned by Turkey to their country of origin – sparking renewed concerns as to what will happen to refugees arriving from war zones.
Police and border agents appeared to get the jump on reporters on Monday morning, moving the first groups of refugees under heavy security considerably earlier than expected.
Leaving the Greek island of Lesbos, they were expected to arrive shortly at nearby ports on the Turkish coast a short while later.
About 4,000 migrants and refugees have been detained on Greek islands since the migrant transfer agreement came into effect on 20 March.
