Cypriot authorities abandon plans for migrant center after residents’ protests

The Ministry of Migration and International Protection of the Republic of Cyprus has abandoned plans to create a new migrant reception center in Nicosia after protests from local residents. The ministry officially stated that the project will not be carried out.

The proposed conversion of a building located about 30 meters from the Lykavitos primary school sparked outrage. Residents stressed that they are not opposed to migrants themselves, but to the chosen location and the decision-making process.

According to representatives of the initiative group, the project was being pushed forward without public consultations and without notifying the Nicosia municipality. They also said that placing such a facility in a residential area would run counter to current urban planning regulations and would require a separate decision by the Council of Ministers.

At the same time, the two sides described the purpose of the future center differently. Residents said it was planned to house unaccompanied minor migrants there. The Ministry of Migration denied this information, saying the plan concerned the temporary accommodation of no more than 30 vulnerable migrants preparing to return to their home countries, rather than a specialized center for children.

As of 1 January 2026, management of centers for unaccompanied minor migrants was transferred from the Ministry of Social Welfare to the Ministry of Migration and International Protection. One ministry is now responsible for the entire process — from receiving migrants to their return.

According to the authorities, the number of unaccompanied minor migrants in Cyprus is declining. In 2025, 680 such cases were registered, compared with 1,200 the year before. Most of the children live with relatives or in foster families.