Türkiye will launch a new procedure to fight increasing irregular migration across the country as of Dec. 1 after initiating a pilot scheme in Istanbul province, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists following the cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, Yerlikaya elaborated on the “Mobile Immigration Point” application, saying: “This pilot application was successful in Istanbul without the slightest complications related to irregular migration. There was not a single problem in nine weeks. We are starting the Mobile Migration Point Application in Bursa, Adana, Izmir and Ankara on Oct. 1. On Nov. 1, we are increasing the number to 153 along with 30 metropolitan cities. The application will be operational across Türkiye on Dec. 1.”
Yerlikaya said that identity (ID) checks would be conducted everywhere, even at football matches.
However, tourists and foreigners with residency permits will not be taken to repatriation centers just because they do not have their passports or IDs with them. “We have translators and immigration experts who will communicate with foreigners via the Mobile Immigration Point. In these centers, we have the Migration-Net system and biometrics, fingerprint scanning system,” he added.
Yerlikaya said that since he was appointed Interior Minister 97,363 irregular migrants were caught till Sept. 22, and 42,875 were deported. 105,488 foreigners whose visas or residency permits expired were sent back while 70,796 people were prevented from entering the country in border areas.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced in July that efforts to curb irregular migration would be stepped up as public concerns about migration have increased.
According to official figures, Türkiye hosts the world’s largest refugee population of around 4 million.
Türkiye has made large investments in social cohesion policies to enable Syrians to smoothly integrate into Turkish society.
The minister also said that he would discuss irregular migration with neighboring Greece and Bulgaria.
Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov will visit Türkiye on Oct. 10, while the arrival date of the Greek Immigration Minister has not been determined yet.
