Fifty-two migrant smugglers and 666 irregular migrants were caught during inspections across Türkiye’s 81 provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Thursday.
The minister wrote on social media that authorities verified the identities of 402,098 people in operations targeting irregular migration and migrant smuggling, resulting in the arrest of 52 smugglers, 14 of whom were foreign nationals.
Yerlikaya said inspections were conducted at 5,842 points with 28,063 personnel and 8,929 teams. Officials checked 15,112 locations, including 7,883 public areas, 483 terminals, and 6,746 other sites.
The minister added that procedures have been initiated to return detected irregular migrants to their countries.
“Türkiye provides a model for the world in migration management by upholding human rights and freedoms, following the principles of law and civilization, and never sacrificing public order and security,” he said.
Türkiye once hosted two-thirds of the world's total Syrian refugee population. At its peak, there were more than 3.8 million Syrian refugees in Türkiye.
Some preferred to cross into Europe illegally in pursuit of better lives. In the early years of the Syrian civil war, Türkiye housed thousands of refugees in tent camps and container cities in its southeastern towns, but over time, most refugees settled elsewhere, setting up new lives, particularly in big cities in western Türkiye.
Türkiye boosted security in its land borders while coast guard patrols were increased amid the influx, especially in the Aegean Sea, where Türkiye and Greece, the main gateway to Europe for migrants, are littoral.
Some migrants make the dangerous journey over land or sea with the assistance of smugglers, who often abandon them, especially during sea journeys, after receiving thousands of dollars from each migrant. Turkish security forces stop others before crossing the border into Europe.
In some cases, neighboring Greece is accused of pushing back migrants in a controversial practice. In the Aegean Sea, Greek coast guard boats often drive out approaching migrant boats to the Greek islands.
Over the past five years, 105,437 migrants were intercepted in Turkish seas and rescued by the Coast Guard Command as they headed into rough seas that have claimed many lives over the years.
