Welcome mat fraying as more migrants reach Greek island

A migrant girl plays in the grounds of the headquarters of the local coast guard in the Greek island of Leros, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. This Greek island that was once a place of exile for political prisoners has become one of the country's most welcoming communities for migrants fleeing chaos and war, thanks to a dedicated grass-roots volunteer network and tourists interrupting their vacations to provide what help they can. But even on Leros, a 75-square kilometer (29 sq. mile) rocky outcrop in the Aegean Sea with a permanent population of fewer than 10,000 people, the welcome mat is fraying under the sheer numbers of migrants _ hundreds arrive in smugglers' boats most days _ making the perilous boat journey here across the Aegean Sea from Turkey. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) A migrant girl plays in the grounds of the headquarters of the local coast guard in the Greek island of Leros, Monday, Aug. 17, 2015. This Greek island that was once a place of exile for political prisoners has become one of the country's most welcoming communities for migrants fleeing chaos and war, thanks to a dedicated grass-roots volunteer network and tourists interrupting their vacations to provide what help they can. But even on Leros, a 75-square kilometer (29 sq. mile) rocky outcrop in the Aegean Sea with a permanent population of fewer than 10,000 people, the welcome mat is fraying under the sheer numbers of migrants _ hundreds arrive in smugglers' boats most days _ making the perilous boat journey here across the Aegean Sea from Turkey. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

By Associated Press August 18, 2015 4 min read

LEROS, Greece (AP) – The islanders bring food, drinks, clothing and necessities like diapers and toothpaste to the migrants huddled on this tiny outcrop in the Aegean Sea. The generosity comes naturally to residents of Leros: The island once took in political prisoners banished here by Greece’s former military rulers, a tradition that breeds a sense of duty to welcome migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.

A dedicated grass-roots network is the heart of Leros’ mission to be a paragon of humanitarian relief. But it is becoming a victim of its own success: Migrant arrivals are surging as asylum-seekers catch wind of the islanders’ generosity – and the welcome mat is starting to fray.

The 75-square-kilometer (29-square-mile) island, with a permanent population of fewer than 10,000 people, is struggling to cope with the hundreds of migrants who turn up most days in smugglers’ boats, following a short but perilous boat crossing from Turkey.

“People in Turkey said we should come here because this was maybe the best island in Greece,” said Obaida Sabbouh, a Syrian from the war-torn city of Homs.

This week, hundreds of migrants were camped out on the shaded grounds of the island’s hospital, in a half-built seaside cinema and theater complex, and at the headquarters of the local coast guard as they waited for seats on the next available ferry to the Greek mainland.