Paris authorities find migrants in abandoned truck amid smuggling probe as Greece rescues hundreds at sea

Authorities in Paris discovered 58 migrants inside an abandoned truck on the outskirts of the French capital late Tuesday, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. The vehicle, found without a driver, contained women and children among the group. Prosecutors launched an investigation into suspected organized human smuggling, including charges of aiding illegal entry, transport, or residence in France. French media reported that 26 migrants without valid residency permits were taken into administrative custody, while others, including asylum seekers and vulnerable individuals, were released .

Meanwhile, Greek authorities rescued 218 migrants in two separate operations near Crete on Wednesday. A Frontex drone first spotted two boats carrying about 140 people 28 kilometers southwest of Ierapetra; a tanker and a coast guard patrol vessel took them aboard. A third boat with 77 migrants was later found 93 kilometers south of Ierapetra and rescued by a cargo ship . An additional 42 migrants were rescued near Kaloi Limenes in southern Crete after a Frontex aircraft detected their vessel 30 nautical miles east of the port .

In Spain, police in Granada arrested 18 people accused of document forgery and facilitating illegal immigration by selling fake rental contracts to migrants for €350–500 each. The scheme involved registering 52 foreigners, mostly from North Africa, at just four apartments in the city center, where investigators found it impossible for so many to live. The ringleader sublet the properties while simultaneously issuing fraudulent contracts to other migrants, with an accomplice posing as an NGO volunteer to deceive victims into believing the registration was required for a 2026 regularization process. Sixteen suspects were detained in Granada, and two others in Córdoba .

Portugal’s PSP border police unit reported screening 19.7 million travelers at air borders in its first year, identifying 1,117 irregular cases among over 52,000 foreign citizens checked. The unit, deployed with 1,500 officers, made 428 arrests, primarily for document fraud or outstanding warrants. Most personnel were stationed in Lisbon (706), followed by Porto (325) and Faro (215). The PSP acknowledged challenges with the EU’s Entry/Exit System implementation but stated it was refining operations to balance border security with passenger flow management .

In Germany, a *Spiegel* investigation found that 7,314 people attempted to enter the country illegally in the first two months since the EU’s new Common European Asylum System (Geas) took effect on June 12. Only 112 of them—1.5 percent—had prior entries in the Eurodac fingerprint database, suggesting most migrants continued to reach Germany without prior registration at EU external borders. The Bundespolizei noted it was too early to assess the reform’s impact, while migration researcher Daniel Thym said the figures showed no immediate shift in migration patterns. Tensions have since flared between Germany and Italy over the enforcement of the new rules, with Berlin demanding Rome accept the return of asylum seekers for whom Italy is responsible .