Turkey over the weekend deported some 542 Afghan migrants who entered the country illegally.

The migrants were sent back to their country of origin on outbound flights from Istanbul, according to the Interior Ministry’s Migration Management Department.

They were detained from northwestern Turkey’s Edirne and Kırklareli.

The Edirne Provincial Immigration Administration on Sunday sent 215 illegal immigrants to Istanbul for deportation, while 327 others were sent face deportation after being detained in Kırklareli.

The latter group was handed to the Kırklareli Pehlivanköy Removal Center (GGM) for deportation through Istanbul.

The detentions and deportation were carried out as part of Turkey’s Irregular Migration Strategy and National Action Plan.

According to the Migration Management Department, 140 charter flights deported over 25,492 illegal migrants to Afghanistan since the beginning of 2022.

While the total number of illegal immigrants of Afghan nationality deported to their country has reached 34,679.

During the same period, the number of immigrants who entered Turkey illegally, a majority of whom are Afghan nationals, hit 57,123 – a 132% increase compared to the same period of the previous year.

Turkey has deported over 356,819 illegal migrants since 2016, according to ministry sources.