INFOGRAPHIC - Turkey: Over 1M irregular migrants held last decade

By Ramazan Ercan

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) - Turkish security forces have held over 1 million irregular migrants in the last ten years.

The figure exceeds the total population of 60 provinces in Turkey, including metropolitan municipalities Trabzon, Erzurum and Eskisehir with a population of less than 1 million.

Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since the beginning of the civil war in Syria.

In 2018, nearly 252,000 irregular migrants were held as of November’s end. This is the highest number for a year over the last decade in Turkey.

Last year, around 176,000 irregular migrants were held across Turkey, while security forces rounded up some 175,000 others.

Additionally, the Turkish Coast Guard has held some 175,600 irregular migrants in the Aegean, Mediterranean, and the Black Sea in the last four years.

Meanwhile, Turkish security forces have arrested nearly 25,600 human smugglers in the last nine years.