97 irregular migrants held across Turkey

By Anadolu Agency Staff

MUGLA/SAMSUN, Turkey (AA) – Turkish security forces held at least 97 irregular migrants who entered the country illegally across the country on Tuesday.

The gendarmerie forces held 58 irregular immigrants – 49 Afghans, 5 Iranians, 3 Syrians, and one Iraqi – in the Fethiye district of the western province of Mugla.

Acting on a tip-off, the gendarmerie found the immigrants as they were preparing to go abroad.

After routine checks, they were sent to provincial migration authorities. One suspect was held for allegedly organizing human trafficking.

Thirty-two more irregular migrants were held in the bus terminal of the same town after security teams acted on a tip-off on the presence of a group of irregular migrants in the inter-city bus terminal.

After routine procedures, 18 Bangladeshi, six Egyptians, three Pakistanis, three Afghans, an Iraqi, and an Iranian national were transferred to the repatriation center to be deported.

In the Samsun province of the Black Sea region, seven Afghan nationals were held by the police in the Tekkekoy town.

The migrants who entered the country through illegal means were held when the police stopped a suspected bus during a traffic check.

They were later transferred to the counter-migrant smuggling and border gates branch.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

Hosting 4 million refugees, Turkey has more than any other country in the world and is taking new security measures on its borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants.

*Writing by Rabia Iclal Turan and Dilan Pamuk in Ankara