Over 2,200 irregular migrants apprehended
ANKARA
More than 2,200 irregular migrants were caught and over 1,000 were deported between Jan. 6 and 12, the Directorate of Migration Management has announced.
“Between Jan. 6 and 12, 2,269 irregular migrants were caught, and 2,321 irregular migrants were deported. The deportation proceedings of 19,968 foreigners continue,” the directorate tweeted.
The total number of deported migrants in 2023 rose to 3,349, it added.
The country 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.
The number of illegal migrants deported since 2016 surpassed 427,000. While the deportation success rate is around 11 percent in Europe, this figure reached 70 percent in Türkiye.
A total of 66,534 Afghan citizens were returned to their country last year, including 44,433 with 234 charter flights and nearly 22,101 with scheduled flights.
In addition, a total of 12,385 Pakistanis were deported via two charter flights and scheduled flights.
Thanks to the security measures taken at the border gates, over 274,311 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 last year.
