Over 1,300 irregular migrants caught, 37 organizers nabbed

ANKARA

More than 1,300 irregular migrants have been caught and 37 organizers have been detained, the Interior Ministry has announced.

Nearly 9,500 teams and over 33,000 personnel participated in the efforts to combat irregular migration initiated by the General Directorate of Security, the Gendarmerie General Command and the Coast Guard Command, the ministry said in a statement.

More than 19,700 areas in total, including 5,670 derelict buildings, 10,200 public places, 500 terminals and 3,345 other areas, were controlled during the inspections, carried out at nearly 7,500 points.

In total, 1,353 irregular migrants were apprehended and 37 organizers, including four foreign nationals, were detained.

A total of 784 wanted suspects were also identified, including 45 foreign nationals and eight terrorist organization members or affiliates.

After the inspections, administrative sanctions were imposed on 873 people, 779 of whom were foreign nationals.

It was determined that eight pickup trucks and two boats were used for irregular migration, the ministry said. In addition, 11 unlicensed shotguns, 13 unlicensed pistols, two blank pistols, 496 bullets and various amounts of drugs were seized.

Thanks to the security measures taken at the border gates, over 248,727 illegal migrants were prevented from entering the country in 2022.

With the efforts to detect and identify illegal migrants and organizers, more than 200,000 migrants have been caught since the beginning of the year, an increase of 86 percent compared to the same period of the last year.

Türkiye has become one of the key transit points for migrants looking to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

Between January and Sept. 15, more than 200,000 irregular migrants have been caught in Türkiye. In the whole of 2021, this figure was 163,000, down from the previous year’s 455,000.