The influx of Middle Eastern migrants into Europe may have reached the high water mark. Greece and the EU have reached a deal to send those back to Turkey that arrive on their coasts or borders. It appears that migration through Turkey may be OK. Human rights protesters are opposing any move to send back or control the migration.

EU Migrants 2

As Written By Dasha Afanasieva and Karolina Tagaris at Reuters:

Migrants sent back from Greece arrive in Turkey under EU deal

* Three passenger boats return migrants from Lesbos, Chios

* Desperate migrants continue to cross despite deal

* Turkey says will send non-Syrians to home countries

* First Syrian refugees arrive in Germany from Turkey under deal

* Rights groups question legality of the agreement (Adds Erdogan; migrants bussed to removal centre)

DIKILI, Turkey/LESBOS, Greece, April 4 (Reuters) – The first migrants deported from Greek islands under a disputed EU-Turkey deal were shipped back to Turkey on Monday in a drive to shut down the main route used by more than a million people fleeing war and poverty to reach Europe in the last year.

Under a pact criticised by refugee agencies and human rights campaigners, Ankara will take back all migrants and refugees who cross the Aegean to enter Greece illegally, including Syrians.

In return, the European Union will take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with money, visa-free travel and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

Two Turkish passenger boats carrying 136 mostly Pakistani migrants arrived from the island of Lesbos in the Turkish town of Dikili, accompanied by two Turkish coast guard vessels with a police helicopter overhead.

A third ship carrying 66 people, mainly Afghans, arrived there later from the island of Chios.

The EU-Turkey deal aims to discourage migrants from perilous crossings, often in small boats and dinghies, and to break the business model of human smugglers who have fuelled Europe’s biggest influx since World War Two.