Measures against irregular migration will be tightened in the upcoming period, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday as publc sentiment on refugees and migrants in Türkiye shifted.

"Our citizens will soon witness tangible changes on irregular migration. Our security forces have tightened measures and works," Erdoğan told journalists on his return from Lithuania.

"The fight against irregular migration never stopped. Many steps will be implemented on the works of police as well as border security. It is imperative that these migrants are prevented from entering Türkiye, and that those who are apprehended are taken to shelters or migrant centers," Erdoğan continued, underlining the importance of preventing entries from northern Syria.

"As soon as illegal migrants are apprehended, they are sent to repatriation centers and necessary actions are initiated there. They are sent to their countries, and through this, we eliminate anxiety and fear of our people."

Refugees are widely embraced by the public, but opposition parties often look to fuel a xenophobic, anti-refugee discourse.

Most recently, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu vowed to send Syrians back in his presidential campaign earlier this year.

Unlike Kılıçdaroğlu, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has advocated to improve the situation in northern Syria, contribute to the stalled political process in the country and encourage voluntary and safe returns of Syrians. According to government figures, around 500,000 have returned in this manner.

According to official figures, Türkiye hosts the world’s largest refugee population of around 4 million.

Türkiye has made large investments in social cohesion policies to enable Syrians to smoothly integrate into the Turkish society.