Türkiye continued its fight against irregular migration by arresting 3,744 migrant smuggling organizers in 2023, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a post on social media that 10,482 suspects were caught last year, among which 3,744 were arrested and 1,479 were given a judicial control decision.
"We are always keeping an eye on those left with a judicial control decision. We continue to follow up," he said.
Yerlikaya added that 371,433 people who entered the status of "irregular migrant" after their visas, visa exemption or residence permits expired, left the country on their own.
Some "82,000 Syrians returned to their country within the scope of voluntary, safe and dignified return. 223,856 irregular immigrants were prevented from entering our borders as a result of the Border Physical Security Systems we established and the determined and sensitive work of our Defense Ministry. (Some) 254,000 irregular immigrants were prevented from entering our borders thanks to the operations we carried out, the mobile migration vehicles and our determined/uncompromising work," he underlined. The minister underlined that smugglers endangering the lives of migrants and turning Türkiye into an irregular transit migration route will continue to be targeted by security forces.
Türkiye copes with the irregular migration phenomenon as crises across the world once again put it at the forefront of migrant influx as a gateway to Europe. Balancing a humanitarian policy and the need to stop thousands from risking their lives, Türkiye heightened measures against irregular migration.
This year, the Directorate of Migration set up "mobile migration points" to speed up the processing of irregular migrants. The migration points help law enforcement in the field to check for irregular migrants.
They use a fingerprint database to check the identity of suspected irregular migrants and cut the red tape for legal migrants who have to prove they have permits, often by visiting police stations.
Türkiye hosts nearly 5 million refugees, more than any country in the world. After the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Ankara adopted an "open-door policy" for people fleeing the conflict, granting them "temporary protection" status. The country is currently home to a total of 3,535,898 Syrian refugees. It also provides a variety of services for their adaptation and social benefit.