Brussels, 26/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - European Immigration Commissioner Jacques Barrot will travel to Athens on Monday 29 June for talks on illegal immigration with Greek leaders. He will also visit a number of detention centres, including the one on the island of Samos. His visit comes only a few days after the Greek parliament passed an amendment toughening rules on illegal immigration. The length of detentions for illegal immigrants will go up from three to six months before they are ordered out of the country and up to a year where there is difficulty in determining the migrant's country of origin. Human trafficking, hitherto an offence punishable by up to five years in prison, will become a crime, with those convicted facing up to 25 years imprisonment. People traffickers may also be fined up to €20,000, rising to €50,000 for repeat offenders. This tougher stance, which has been severely criticised by the Left and immigrants' rights NGOs, comes as the Far Right has been making a surge in Greece: the extreme right-wing LAOS party won two seats in the European elections. This amendment formed part of a bill, awaiting formal adoption, banning the wearing of masks in demonstrations, drafted after the violence of December last year which followed the death of an adolescent, killed by a police officer in Athens. The Greek government has also announced that it was setting up new detention centres for illegal immigrants. Around 250,000 illegal immigrants, many from neighbouring Turkey, are currently living in Greece. Commissioner Barrot will also attend the meeting of the EPP Parliamentary group, in Athens from 29 June to 2 July. Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering, Commission President José Manuel Barroso and European Commissioners Stavros Dimas (Environment) and Viviane Reding (Information Society and the Media) are among those expected to address the meeting. (B.C./transl.rt)