Greek Islands Overwhelmed by Migrants, Say Officials

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The mayors of five eastern Greek islands used to limit the movement of refugees and migrants have called on the European Union to ease the restrictions amid continued problems created by winter weather and overcrowding.

The mayors of Lesbos, Chios, Leros, Samos and Kos met in Athens Monday with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to make the request in person to move migrants to mainland Greece.

Under a deal between Turkey and the European Union, migrants who reached the islands over the past 10 months are mostly not allowed to leave until their cases have been reviewed for potential deportation.

There was no immediate response from the government to the mayors’ request.