Greek lawmakers voted on Friday to temporarily stop processing asylum requests from migrants arriving from North Africa by sea in a bid to reduce arrivals into Europe's southernmost tip, a move rights groups and opposition parties have called illegal.

Greece has suspended the processing of asylum applications from North Africa for three months after a surge in migrant numbers. Arrivals by boat from the region will be arrested and detained, conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s government said Wednesday it is temporarily suspending asylum applications for migrants arriving on the island of Crete, following a spike in arrivals from Libya.