Asylum-seekers weigh options in Athens

Despite rough seas and increased patrols, 2,000-4,000 asylum-seekers continue arriving daily in the port of Piraeus near Athens. Upon entering Greece, those who register with the government receive documents stating their nationality and 30-days' permission to remain in the country. When their time is up, these people must apply for asylum, leave Greece or face arrest and, eventually, deportation.

Due to new border restrictions in Balkan nations, which give passage only to Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, asylum-seekers from other places have become stuck in Greece and are desperate to get out before their 30 days expire. Many are being housed in Athens' Olympic taekwondo stadium (above), while others seek alternatives, including smuggling networks through Macedonia, Albania and Bulgaria.

In Victoria Square, Athens' unofficial meeting point for asylum-seekers, smugglers mingle with stranded migrants, offering fake documents and transportation for large sums of cash. Last week average prices for a driver to Austria were 1,500 euros ($1,640) per person, but heightened border patrols increased costs over the weekend. Now some smugglers are asking for 2,000 euros just to reach Serbia.

Time's running out for those stuck in Greece, mostly Iranians and Moroccans, pictured above arguing outside the stadium. While some consider hunger strikes to protest border restrictions, others are returning to the Lesbos and restarting the registration process, this time falsely claiming they're Syrian. Bijan Mortazavi, an Iranian asylum-seeker, said four of his friends are trying this method.

Meanwhile, the interim is far from easy. Moroccans sit by a food line at the taekwondo stadium, where overcrowding and squalid conditions led to brawls and 100 arrests over the weekend. Yiannis Mouzalas, interior minister for immigration, said the stadium will be emptied December 16, but didn't mention where inhabitants would be relocated. Rumors point to an abandoned airport outside Athens.

For many in the stadium, the move will be their second relocation, as the majority of asylum-seekers stuck in Athens were evicted from Idomeni, near the Macedonian border. Extended periods of time in refugee shelters have caused rampant illness, as displayed by this feverish Iranian man outside the stadium, where coarse bouts of coughing fill the vacant parking lot.

Journalists are barred from entering the stadium, but TV cameras can be spotted daily around its perimeter. On Sunday, asylum-seekers at the shelter took advantage of the media presence to hold an impromptu press conference. "We want good jobs and good lives," said Achraf Wafi, a Moroccan graphic designer. "Morocco is full of drugs and mafia. We don't want that life."

On Sunday, Dionysis Hatzidakis, mayor of Palio Faliro, where the taekwondo stadium is located, said he would convince Macedonia to open its borders. Some asylum-seekers took it as a signal that migration routes would reopen, but misinformation usually leaves families waiting out in the cold, such as this Afghan group that was waiting for a northbound bus in the wrong park.

Even 'recognized' refugees who are allowed passage to northern Europe get bogged down by confusion. Upon disembarking at the port, asylum-seekers are left on their own to find shelter, food and transportation. This group of handicapped Syrians was found lost in a metro station outside Athens, before they were redirected to a place they could find buses to Macedonia

Not only is the taekwondo stadium closing as a shelter, but asylum-seekers were removed from a field hockey stadium on Friday, leaving Athens with just one permanent camp in Eleonas (above) and raising questions on long-term space availability. "We have many problems now," said Eleonas camp manager Mahmoud Abdelrasail. "The camp is full and some are sleeping in big tents."