The number of irregular migrants deported from Turkey this year increased by 149% compared to the same period of the previous year and reached 97,448.
While security measures are increased at the borders to combat irregular migration, irregular migrants who entered Turkey irregularly are deported via chartered and scheduled flights.
Most recently, 227 irregular migrants from Afghanistan who were being held in administrative detention at Kırklareli Pehlivanköy Removal Center were brought to Istanbul Airport and sent back to their country after passing through security under the supervision of law enforcement units.
According to the information received from the Interior Ministry's Directorate of Migration Management, this was the 213th chartered flight to Afghanistan since the beginning of 2022.
Since the beginning of 2022, a total of 55,502 Afghan citizens have been returned to their country, including 40,510 on board 213 charter flights and 14,992 on scheduled flights.
Also this year, a total of 11,025 irregular migrants were safely returned to Pakistan on two charter flights and scheduled flights.
The number of irregular migrants deported since the beginning of the year has reached 97,448. Compared to the same period last year, the number of people deported increased by 149%.
Compared to the same period of the previous year, a 206% increase in Afghan nationals, a 28% increase in Pakistani nationals and a 180% increase in foreigners with other nationalities was observed in terms of deportations. In addition, the number of irregular migrants deported since 2016 has reached 422,957.
Thanks to Turkey’s effective deportation mechanism, returns are carried out with a rate of success well above the European average. In this context, while Turkey’s deportation success rate was 69%, this rate was 10% in Europe.
Thanks to the security measures taken at the borders, 242,525 irregular migrants were prevented from entering the country in 2022.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior Turkish officials have frequently pointed out that, "Türkiye does not have any obligation whatsoever to be a safe haven for Afghan refugees," amid developments following the Taliban takeover of the rule in the country last year.
Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum-seekers attempting to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. Concerns have risen over a spike in migrants from Afghanistan, due to the United States' pullout from the country and the following Taliban victory.
Turkey is continuing efforts to bolster the security of its border with Iran to prevent any new migrant wave in the face of the recent developments in Afghanistan. The beefed-up border measures in Turkey, which already hosts nearly 4 million Syrian refugees and is a staging post for many migrants trying to reach Europe, began as the Taliban started advancing in Afghanistan and took over Kabul last year.
Turkey has deployed additional reinforcements to its eastern border with Iran, and new measures are expected to be applied. Border security will be supported by technological systems to prevent a fresh influx of migrants. Turkey has made it clear that it will not bear the burden of the migration crises experienced as a result of the decisions of third countries.
Turkey hosts nearly 5 million refugees – more than any country in the world. After the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Turkey adopted an “open-door policy” for people fleeing the conflict, granting them “temporary protection” status.
Afghans are believed to be the second-largest refugee community in Turkey after Syrians. Many of the migrants arriving via Iran are heading for Istanbul to find work or passage to another coastal city from which to embark for Europe. European Union and Western partners have said that Turkey would play a vital role in preventing the illegal crossing of irregular Afghan migrants into Europe.
SOURCE: Daily Sabah
