Hundreds of irregular migrants captured: Minister
ANKARA
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Dec. 12 that nearly 1,000 irregular migrants have been apprehended in a series of nationwide operations.
The effort, involving over 26,000 personnel, also resulted in the capture of 31 migrant smugglers, nine of whom were foreign nationals.
“A total of 15,250 locations were checked, including 4,327 abandoned buildings, 7,475 public places, 461 terminals and 2,987 other sites,” Yerlikaya said in a statement on X.
Identity checks were conducted on more than 366,000 people, leading to the apprehension of 981 irregular migrants. Repatriation procedures for those detained are underway, he added.
The operations come as Türkiye faces a surge of migration-related activity along its southern border with Syria. Following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, thousands of Syrians in Türkiye have sought to return home.
Yerlikaya said on Dec. 10, crossings at border gates with Syria have doubled since the regime's fall. The minister is scheduled to meet with representatives of Syrian civil society organizations to discuss solutions related to migration and repatriation efforts.
Türkiye has hosted millions of refugees since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
