The coast guard rescued 24 irregular migrants off western Izmir province’s Çeşme district, the command announced.
Upon receiving information of irregular migrants traveling on a rubber boat off the district waters, a coast security board was sent to rescue the migrants, the coast guard wrote on their website on Thursday.
It said the boat was pushed into Turkish territorial waters by Greek elements.
The irregular migrants were handed over to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management after their procedures.
Greece, one of the gateways into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, has been accused by aid groups of forcibly ejecting migrants at its sea and land borders, also known as “pushbacks,” an illegal practice.
Türkiye itself is a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants flee civil conflict or economic hardship in their home countries with the hope of reaching Europe.
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. Turkish security forces stop others before crossing the border into Europe.