Protesters on the Greek island of Lesbos have been removed from the water by police.

The protests took place as a ferry carrying a group of migrants from the island were deported to Turkey.

45 of the people returned to Turkey today are said to have been Pakistani nationals.

The Guardian reports that 150 people are being deported from the islands of Lesbos, Samos and Kos today.

The deportations are part of an EU deal agreed last month to ease the migration crisis.

The first groups of people were returned to Turkey earlier this week following the implementation of the controversial deal. However, the process was postponed again until today as Greek authorities attempted to work through asylum applications.

Human rights groups argue the collective deportations break international law and mark a dark time in Europe's history.

Currently, more than 22,000 refugee and migrant children are stranded in Greece.

Meanwhile, it is reported that asylum requests in Germany have dropped by two-thirds in just one month.

The latest figures show that 20,000 people applied to live there in March - down from 60,000 in February.

Germany last year took in more than a million refugees and migrants. However, the mass influx proved controversial and has put the German government's under pressure as a result of their 'open door' policy.