Nearly 100,000 irregular migrants deported in 10 months

ANKARA

The number of irregular migrants deported from Türkiye in 2022 has soared to nearly 100,000, according to the Directorate General of Migration Management.

Türkiye has deported 97,448 irregular migrants since the new year as the number of deportations increased by 149 percent compared to the same period of 2021.

The figures increased by 206 percent for Afghani migrants, 28 percent for Pakistanis and 180 percent for migrants with other nationalities.

The number of illegal migrants deported since 2016 reached 423,000. While the deportation success rate is around 10 percent in Europe, this figure reached 69 percent in Türkiye.

A total of 55,500 Afghan citizens were returned to their country this year, including 40,500 with 213 charter flights and nearly 15,000 with scheduled flights.

In addition, a total of 11,025 Pakistanis were deported via two charter flights and scheduled flights.

Thanks to the security measures taken at the border gates, over 242,000 illegal migrants were prevented from entering the country in 2022.

With the efforts to detect and identify illegal migrants and organizers, nearly 200,000 migrants have been caught since the beginning of the year, an increase of 91 percent compared to the same period of the last year.

Meanwhile, 227 Afghani irregular migrants, who were under administrative detention at the removal center in the northwestern province of Kırklareli and brought to Istanbul Airport, were transferred to their country after passing through the security point under the supervision of law enforcement units.

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.

Afghan nationals constituted the largest group of caught irregular migrants this year at nearly 87,000, followed by Syrians at 29,600 and Pakistanis at 13,000.

As of Sept. 15, nearly 3.66 million Syrians live in Türkiye under temporary protection, down from 3.74 million in 2021. Most of the Syrians - 552,000 - reside in Istanbul, while the southeastern provinces of Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa host 466,000 and 384,000 Syrians, respectively.