Greece's controversial pushback practice resurfaced again on Monday. Authorities announced that 116 irregular migrants pushed back into Turkish territorial waters were rescued.
Coast guard units found 35 migrants, including a child, inside a rubber boat off the Karaburun district of western Izmir province in the Aegean region, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said in a statement. In a separate statement, the Coast Guard Command said its units also rescued 44 migrants, five of them children, from the same district. In another rescue mission off Dalaman district of western Muğla province, coast guard units saved 37 migrants, including 19 children.
Türkiye has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. Ankara and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants flee civil conflict or economic hardship in their home countries with the hope of reaching Europe via Türkiye. Some migrants make dangerous journeys over land or sea with the assistance of smugglers, who often abandon them, especially during sea journeys, after receiving thousands of dollars from each migrant. Turkish security forces stop others before crossing the border into Europe.
The latest statistics, between 2010 and 2023, show Türkiye rescued 184,175 irregular migrants from its seas after they put their lives in danger with the hope of reaching Europe. Some 923 migrants, on the other hand, ended up dead on perilous journeys in the same period, while 503 people remain unaccounted for after their boats sank. Last month, Turkish authorities recovered the bodies of seven irregular migrants. They rescued 18 others in the Aegean off the coast of an islet after their boat was pushed back by Greek security forces and hit the tricks, sinking with 27 on board.
Smuggling gangs repeatedly attempt to bring migrants across the shallow waters of the river – known in Greek as Maritsa and in Turkish as Meriç – from Türkiye to Greece and thereby into the EU during the summer drought. Greece is currently constructing a fence along this border to prevent illegal crossings.
According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 3,168 people have taken this route from Türkiye to Greece since the beginning of the year through July 14.
Greece's relations with Türkiye on the matter are often tense, and the Turkish coast guard has repeatedly accused the Greek side of mistreating migrants. Greece has angrily denied the accusations, arguing its border forces have saved hundreds of thousands of migrants from sinking boats.