Türkiye nabs hundreds of irregular migrants in operations
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya underlines the country's determination to prevent migrant smugglers from using it as a target and transit route for irregular migration.
"A total of 22,707 foreigners' identity information was checked, and among them, 1177 were identified as irregular migrants," the Turkish interior minister said. / Photo: AA
Türkiye has captured 1,177 irregular migrants in "Shield-19" operations in five days, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced.
Shield-19 operations targeting human trafficking organisers and irregular migrants are being conducted with mobile migration checkpoint vehicles, said Yerlikaya Friday on X.
"During the first five days of the Ramadan Eid holiday (April 6-7-8-9-10, 2024), coordinated by our Governorates and Directorate General of Migration Management, inspections were carried out in all 30 metropolitan cities with 162 mobile migration checkpoint vehicles by our police, gendarmerie, and coast guard, with 103 of them in Istanbul," he said.
"A total of 22,707 foreigners' identity information was checked, and among them, 1177 were identified as irregular migrants," he added.
Yerlikaya noted that the captured irregular migrants were promptly handed over to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management offices for immediate deportation procedures.
"We will never allow migrant smugglers who seek to make our country a target and transit route for irregular migration to succeed," he added.
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