Police Task Force of the Republic of Cyprus hopes to discuss soon with the Lebanese authorities a plan to keep “economic migrants” from visiting the island.

More than 100 people from Lebanon were returned to the country from which they came after Cypriot Coast Guard officers blocked access to the eastern shores of Cyprus by five boats over the past four days.

Interior Minister Nikos Nouris said the decision was made to secure the national borders, as well as European borders in the easternmost part of the Mediterranean Sea.

Nouris, who takes a tough stance on migration, confirmed that the state is ready to accept “legal refugees” within the limits of the island, adding that the centers for migrants are now overcrowded.

But the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Cyprus responded that any delay in helping people at sea could endanger their lives.

In response, officials said no one was at risk during the return operation, only a few women and children were taken to the local hospital and then returned to the ship.

Emilia Strovolidu, a UNHCR public information officer, told local media on Monday that a boat carrying refugees off the coast of Larnaca, which was eventually allowed to dock, was damaged and could sink.

The government is constantly looking for solutions to stem the flow of migrants to the island. A number of draft laws have already been created that significantly amend the Constitution and allow state authorities to shorten the period of appealing against a deportation decision.

In response, the authorities were criticized for the fact that the amendment to the Constitution deprived applicants of their inalienable rights to access to “due process” to appeal the decision.