At least 430 irregular migrants were held in a border city in northwestern Turkey, security sources said Wednesday.

The migrants, who attempted to cross to Europe illegally, were arrested by the gendarmerie forces in Edirne, a Turkish province bordering Greece and Bulgaria.

The arrests came after two days of inspections by the local gendarmerie forces in the İpsala, Meriç, and Uzunköprü districts. The irregular migrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Bangladesh were later referred to the provincial migration directorate.

Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross to Europe, especially since the beginning of the civil war in Syria. Some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey in 2018, according to the Interior Ministry.