ATHENS – Along with extending a wall on the border with Turkey near the Evros River, Greece is going to add another 250 guards to keep out refugees and migrants, most coming from Turkey where they had gone fleeing war, strife and economic hardship in their homelands.

Citizen Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos and Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Eleftherios Economou signed a decision to post the guards along the river area crossing, a spot where many drowned trying to cross perilous currents.

Following the publication of the decision, the Hellenic Police leadership is expected to begin advertising for the positions and the recruitment and training process is expected to be done by early 2023.

The New Democracy government at the same time, which has gotten tougher on keeping out refugees and migrants, continues to dispute claims from major media and human rights groups of pushing people back into the sea on their craft and forcing them to cross the land border back into Turkey.

After the European Union closed its borders to them, they were left with trying to reach Greece, primarily five Aegean islands near Turkey’s coast, that country allowing human smugglers to operate during an essentially-suspended 2016 swap deal with the EU.