Turkish authorities have apprehended 80 migrant smugglers while also intercepting some 2,155 irregular migrants in nationwide operations throughout the first week of January, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Monday.
Yerlikaya said in a social media post that the gendarmerie and police launched the “Shield-7” operation in 27 provinces against irregular migrations, including in Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir and Ankara.
“We will never allow human smugglers who drag thousands to their deaths on migration routes, attempting to make Türkiye a target of irregular migration and a transit route,” Yerlikaya said.
The minister said six of the detained smugglers were arrested and four were released with judiciary control, while legal proceedings are underway for others.
Türkiye has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
Between January and November 2023, the country intercepted 234,092 irregular migrants and arrested 3,068 smugglers.
Most of these migrants look to make the perilous crossing to Greece, the easternmost European Union member, often risking violent treatment by the Greek coast guard, which has been internationally condemned for making pushbacks a recurring practice in dealing with asylum-seekers.
Last year, the Turkish coast guard saved 25,889 irregular migrants Greece pushed back and recovered the bodies of 20 others who perished in the Aegean Sea.
Türkiye, which already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any other country in the world, is taking new measures at its borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants, balancing a humanitarian policy and the need to stop thousands from risking their lives.
As most irregular migrants try to infiltrate Türkiye through its eastern borders, the country recently began constructing a security wall. Authorities say 80% of the wall and a 1,234-kilometer (767-mile) patrolling strip next to the wall are completed.
The Directorate of Migration set up “mobile migration points” to speed up the processing of irregular migrants. The migration points help law enforcement in the field to check for irregular migrants.
They use a fingerprint database to check the identity of suspected irregular migrants and cut the red tape for legal migrants who have to prove that they have permits, often by visiting police stations.
