The governor of Edirne province in northwestern Türkiye unveiled plans to build an 8.5-kilometer (5.2-mile) wall on the country's western border, where neighbors Greece and Bulgaria have already erected fences. The barrier will prevent migrants from crossing into EU member states.
Türkiye has, in the past, built walls on its border with Iran and Syria.
"For the first time, we will take physical security measures this year on our western border," Governor Yunus Sezer told reporters at a news briefing on Tuesday.
The governor said that initially, an 8.5-kilometer wall was planned, adding that it could be extended. "We will start from the border with Greece and from there, God willing, it will continue in the upcoming period depending on the situation," he added.
Türkiye shares a 200-kilometer frontier with Greece and the border is separated along the Evros River, called Meriç in Turkish.
In 2012, Greece built 3-meter tall barbed wire barriers along 11 kilometers of its frontier with Türkiye, which was previously mined. It later tripled the length of the fence, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowing to extend it to more than 100 kilometers by 2026.
In 2014, Bulgaria put up a 30-kilometer razor wire fence along its border with Türkiye as migrants flocked there to avoid the perilous Mediterranean Sea crossing. Four years later, the fence was extended to cover almost all of the 259-kilometer border. Türkiye's western coasts are also a starting point for migrants aiming to reach the Greek islands. In February, six migrants drowned while another 27 were rescued by the coast guard when their boat started sinking off the western coast of Türkiye.
Sezer said they worked on improving roads next to the border, extending for 325 kilometers. "We are also working on construction of electro-optic towers and other measures," he stressed, referring to watch towers fitted with high-tech radars and other equipment to monitor the activities along the border.
"We only had lanes for patrols on the border and now we launched a tender for physical fence and walls," he said. The governor noted that they were determined to pursue efforts against irregular migration.
"Inspections across the border and within Edirne are underway. Our province is no longer the favorite destination of migrants. We witnessed a 93% increase in migrant activity compared to last year. We also stepped up operations against migrant smugglers and this year alone, 110 smugglers were captured in 56 operations," he said.
Irregular migration has thrived in the past two decades in Türkiye, which sits between Asia and Europe, amid escalating conflicts, poverty and other challenges plaguing the home countries of migrants. Türkiye has caught over 1.1 million irregular migrants within its borders since 2020, according to official figures from the Interior Ministry.
The largest number of irregular migrants in the past five years were Afghan nationals, followed by Syrians, data has shown. The migrant flow is not exclusive to Asian and Middle Eastern countries and irregular migrants from African countries also prefer Türkiye as a destination to reach Europe in some cases.
Figures reveal an upward trajectory in irregular arrivals in Türkiye from 2020 to 2023 before dropping significantly in 2024. Authorities caught 122,302 migrants in 2020, 162,996 in 2021, 285,027 in 2022, 254,008 in 2023 and 175,786 in 2024. Türkiye has also expanded its crackdown on migrant smuggling, capturing 31,931 smugglers between 2020 and 2023. Between Jan. 1, 2024, and Oct. 10, 2024, some 9,761 smugglers were detained nationwide.
Türkiye boosted security in its land borders while coast guard patrols were increased amid the influx, especially in the Aegean Sea, where Türkiye and migrants’ main gateway to Europe, Greece, are littoral. 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 claimed many lives over the years.
Last year alone, 23,330 people were rescued, while 41 bodies of drowned migrants were recovered. Eleven people are still missing at sea, according to statistics regarding 2024. Figures show that irregular migration requiring search and rescue at sea peaked in 2015. In 1,540 cases, Turkish authorities rescued 58,570 people and recovered the bodies of 263 migrants that year, while 201 people were reported missing.
Türkiye also strives to keep its borders secure against illegal crossings by criminals and terrorists, as well as those in Türkiye to infiltrate Europe. Tight security measures prevented hundreds of members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) from fleeing Türkiye, along with scores of PKK terrorists from infiltrating Europe and vice versa.
