More than 500 irregular migrants held across Turkey

More than 500 migrants were detained on 18 and 19 March 2019 while attempting to migrate irregularly towards Europe.

The largest group of these migrants were reportedly detained in the western Edirne province, which borders Greece and Bulgaria. There, security forces detained 192 migrants trying to cross the border. The migrants were largely from Afghanistan, Algeria, Morocco, Occupied Territories of Palestine, Syria, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Another group of 101 irregular migrants in two boats were detained by the coast guard in western Izmir province. These migrants were mostly Afghan, Syrian and Iraqi nationals, trying to reach Greece from Turkey.

Meanwhile in eastern Van province, gendarmerie forces detained 163 irregular migrants, according to a statement from the provincial gendarmerie command. Smaller groups were also detained in Aydin, Kayseri, Mugla and Tekirdag provinces.

Turkey is strategically placed between Asia and Europe, making it the most popular route for migrants from the Middle East and Asia in search of safe haven and economic opportunities in Europe. Turkey is also the largest host of refugees in the world, with close to four million refugees, largely from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 2016, the European Union struck an agreement with Turkey to manage the flow of migrants to Europe. Under the deal, all migrants arriving to Greece will be sent back to Turkey. For every Syrian sent back, one Syrian will be settled in Europe, selected based on a UN vulnerability criteria. Turkey was also given funding to support and manage the flow of migrants.

If asylum seekers process their claims in Turkey, they are assigned a host city where they are obliged to stay until their cases are processed. These are usually far from urban centres such as Istanbul or Ankara. If asylum seekers are caught attempting to leave their assigned cities, they would be deported.

Turkey has also tightened control on migrants attempting to get to Europe. The Turkish Interior Ministry said  268,000 undocumented migrants and refugees were held in 2018.

Thousands of Afghans held were deported and continue to be deported back home. Between January and early April 2018, Turkey deported at least 7,100 Afghans, according to Amnesty International.

TMP – 20/03/2019