Turkish authorities captured 42 suspected migrant smugglers in operations on New Year’s Eve, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Thursday.
“On the last day of 2024, a total of 41 smugglers were captured in nationwide Shield-37 raids,” Yerlikaya said in a post on X, adding that 14 of the suspects were foreign nationals.
He also said a total of 380,807 people were checked for their identity cards and nationwide inspections also found 764 irregular migrants, who were transferred to deportation centers.
Türkiye has caught over 1.1 million irregular migrants within its borders since 2020, according to official figures from the Interior Ministry. The largest number of irregular migrants in the past five years were Afghan nationals, followed by Syrians, data has shown.
Figures reveal an upward trajectory in irregular arrivals in Türkiye from 2020 to 2023 before dropping significantly in 2024. Authorities caught 122,302 migrants in 2020, 162,996 in 2021, 285,027 in 2022, 254,008 in 2023 and 175,786 so far in 2024. In October alone, some 5,132 irregular migrants were caught in the country.
Türkiye has also expanded its crackdown on migrant smuggling, capturing 31,931 smugglers between 2020 and 2023. Between Jan. 1, 2024 and Oct. 10, 2024, some 9,761 smugglers were detained nationwide.
Türkiye has been a migration destination, especially in the past decade, and currently hosts more than 4.4 million residents of foreign origin. It hosts more than 3.1 million Syrians under temporary protection, while another 228,290 people stay in the country under the status of international protection.
European countries have remained attractive to migrants from African and Asian countries in the past decade, and Türkiye is a transit route for thousands of asylum-seekers looking to cross over to Greece from its western coasts.
Some migrants make dangerous journeys over land or sea with the assistance of smugglers, who often abandon them, especially during sea journeys, after receiving thousands of dollars from each migrant.
Others are stopped by Turkish security forces before crossing the border into Europe.
Similarly, on Wednesday, the Turkish coast guard rescued 73 irregular migrants who called for help after their boat broke down and intercepted 155 others off the coast of western Izmir province.