Chicago Couple Returns From Medical Mission To Idomeni, Greece

Chicago Couple Returns From Medical Mission To Idomeni, Greece

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Beginning today, under a deal that was struck between the EU and Turkey, migrants arriving illegally in Greece are being sent back to Turkey if they have not applied for asylum or if their claims have been rejected. The first group were sent back from the islands of Lesbos and Chios. 

But those islands are not the only hotspots in Greece. 

It’s estimated that more than 11,000 migrants and refugees are currently camped around the Greek Macedonian border town of Idomeni. They’ve been stranded since Macedonia closed its border last month. Many of those stranded are families with young children, Conditions at the camp are difficult. 

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, a Syrian American physician and former president of the Syrian American Medical Society and his wife Suzanne Akhras Sahloul, the founder and director of the Syrian Community Network, an organization that helps with the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Chicago, have just returned from Indomeni. They joined us to talk about the situation in Idomeni and the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe.

Click through the photo gallery to see scenes from the Sahloul’s trip.