Türkiye and the United Kingdom have announced a new deal to slow the flow of illegal migrants passing through Türkiye on their way to Europe and focus on coordinated actions to “disrupt and dismantle people smuggling gangs.”
Central to the partnership is the establishment of a new operational “center of excellence” by the Turkish National Police.
Supported by the U.K., the center focuses on addressing organized immigration crime by enhancing the alignment of intelligence between the two nations.
A new memorandum of understanding will also facilitate the swifter exchange of customs data, information and intelligence between British and Turkish authorities, bolstering the collaborative efforts to disrupt the supply chain of materials employed in illegal migration.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “As I’ve made clear, we must do everything we can to smash the people smuggling gangs and stop the boats.
“Our partnership with Türkiye, a close friend and ally, will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem and tackle the small boat supply chain."
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said about the deal: “We will be intensively sharing intelligence, people and technology to disrupt and dismantle human trafficking gangs and the manufacture and supply materials which enable small boat crossings.
“Having met our partners in Europe, North Africa, and indeed Türkiye recently, I’ve seen firsthand the benefits our increased cooperation has on stopping the boats.
“I am determined that the U.K. is a leading force in tackling illegal migration and a partner to all those allies who share our determination to defeat it.”
The new operational center will strengthen collaboration between the National Crime Agency and Home Office Intelligence staff based in Türkiye and their Turkish counterparts. And the U.K. will deploy more officers in Türkiye to enable collaboration on joint operations to disrupt the criminal gangs who are facilitating illegal journeys.
According to the Home Office, exporting small boats and boat parts across the continent of Europe to facilitate illegal crossings to the U.K. is a vital element of people smugglers’ tactics.
It is estimated that hundreds of small boats and boat parts are transported through Europe each year for this purpose.
The reinforced collaboration between the U.K. and Türkiye will take center stage at the upcoming U.K.-Türkiye Migration Dialogue meeting, scheduled for the autumn in London.
The deal comes after Jenrick’s visit to Türkiye last month, where he visited the Turkish-Bulgarian Border Check Point at Kapıkule – the largest and busiest border crossing point in Europe.
The issue is a headache for Türkiye as it lies between Asia and Europe. Every year, thousands arrive in the country either to stay illegally or to cross into Europe secretly.
Along the southeastern border, Türkiye has been implementing a string of measures, including anti-smuggling operations, more patrols and a border wall still under construction, to stem irregular migration and reporting concrete results.
Last year, a total of 124,441 irregular migrants were deported and some 58,758 Syrians made voluntary returns to the safe zones in northern Syria, the Interior Ministry announced earlier. Data shared by the ministry revealed that this was the highest number of deportations in Türkiye’s history, up by some 161% compared to 2021.
Since January 2023, a significant decline was observed in the number of irregular migrants on the border, analysts said.
The announcement is also one of a series the British government will be making as part of its “Stop the Boats” week.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made cutting the number of illegal migrants arriving in Britain a key pledge for this year as he tried to narrow the wide lead of the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls.
This week, Britain began moving some migrants onto a large residential barge on its southern coast, part of plans to remove what the government called the “pull” of hotels for those arriving on the country’s shores in small boats.
On Monday, after weeks of delays, the first 15 asylum seekers boarded the Bibby Stockholm barge. Around 50 people were expected to move onboard the giant vessel, but around 20 were granted a last-minute reprieve after a series of legal challenges.
