Authorities nab hundreds of irregular migrants

ANKARA

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced the arrest of 656 irregular migrants and 52 individuals organizing smuggling activities during a series of operations across the country.

Police, gendarmerie and Coast Guard personnel were among over 26,000 law enforcement officers involved in the operations, Yerlikaya said in an X post on Dec. 27.

The extensive checks included over 15,000 locations, such as 4,295 abandoned buildings, 7,776 public spaces and 514 bus terminals.

Yerlikaya said of the 52 smuggling organizers detained, 32 were foreign nationals. Identity checks were conducted on over 400,000 individuals during these operations.

The minister further noted that procedures have begun to return the apprehended irregular migrants to their home countries.

"Türkiye offers an exemplary model to the whole world in migration management by respecting human rights and freedoms, adhering to the values of law and civilization, and never compromising public order and security," Yerlikaya wrote.

This comes after the minister had previously announced expectations of capturing nearly 1,000 more irregular migrants in upcoming nationwide operations earlier this month.

The effort, involving over 26,000 personnel, also resulted in the capture of 31 migrant smugglers, nine of whom were foreign nationals.

“A total of 15,250 locations were checked, including 4,327 abandoned buildings, 7,475 public places, 461 terminals and 2,987 other sites,” Yerlikaya said in a statement on X on Dec. 12.

Identity checks were conducted on more than 366,000 people, leading to the apprehension of 981 irregular migrants. Repatriation procedures for those detained are underway, he added.

The operations come as Türkiye faces a surge of migration-related activity along its southern border with Syria. Following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, thousands of Syrians in Türkiye have sought to return home.

Yerlikaya said on Dec. 10 that crossings at border gates with Syria have doubled since the regime's fall. The minister is scheduled to meet with representatives of Syrian civil society organizations to discuss solutions related to migration and repatriation efforts.

Türkiye has hosted millions of refugees since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.