Turkish authorities catch over 500 irregular migrants in Aegean

Read Time:4 Minute, 4 Second

ISTANBUL JUN 18, 2024 – 1:39 PM GMT+3

A Turkish coast guard vessel picks up a boat carrying 13 irregular migrants and headed for Italy, off the coast of the Marmaris district in western Muğla province, Türkiye, June 15, 2024. (IHA Photo)

Over 500 irregular migrants trying to cross over from several Aegean provinces to Europe in the past week, the Turkish Coast Guard Command reported on Sunday.

The coast guard pulled ashore 24 irregular migrants whose boat was found drifting due to engine failure off the coast of Ayvacık in western Çanakkale province.

The foreign nationals were taken to the Ayvacık Deportation Center after processing.

Separately, 122 irregular migrants were apprehended off the coast of Bodrum district of Muğla province in the Aegean region.

Coast guard boats were dispatched to the area several times after detecting irregular migrants in a sailing vessel and a rubber boat, according to a statement from the Coast Guard Command.

The irregular migrants were handed over to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

Additionally, two individuals were detained on suspicion of human trafficking.

Separately, 15 more irregular migrants were apprehended off the coast of Ayvacık who were brought ashore and taken to the local deportation center after processing.

Another batch of 139 irregular migrants, including 49 children, were apprehended off the coasts of Urla, Çesme and Dikili districts in the Aegean province of Izmir.

On a different occasion, coast guard teams stopped three rubber boats, capturing 117 irregular migrants, including 45 children off the coasts of Urla and Çesme upon receiving reports.

The Coast Guard Mobile Radar (MORAD-10) detected a group of irregular migrants in a rubber boat off the coast of Dikili.

Teams sent to the area apprehended 22 irregular migrants, including four children.

A suspect alleged to be a migrant smuggler was also detained.

After processing, the irregular migrants were sent to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

Another 62 irregular migrants, including 18 children, were apprehended off the coasts of Bodrum and Marmaris districts in Muğla.

According to the Coast Guard Command, the Coast Guard Mobile Radar (MORAD-16) detected a group of irregular migrants on a sailing vessel off the coast of Bodrum.

Teams stopped the vessel en route to Italy and apprehended 52 irregular migrants, including 15 children, along with two suspected migrant smugglers.

In Namlialan Bay in Marmaris, the coast guard was tipped off about a group of irregular migrants requesting assistance in an area inaccessible by land.

Boats and teams from the Bozburun Gendarmerie Station Command were dispatched to the area.

The teams saved 10 irregular migrants, including three children.

The irregular migrants were handed over to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

In addition, two individuals were detained on suspicion of human trafficking.

Türkiye has been 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 the dangerous journey 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.

The latest statistics, between 2010 and 2023, show Türkiye rescued 184,175 irregular migrants from its seas after they put their lives in danger with the hope of reaching Europe. Some 923 migrants, on the other hand, ended up dead on perilous journeys in the same period, while 503 people remain unaccounted for after their boats sank.

In 2023, authorities intercepted 254,000 irregular migrants and arrested 3,744 migrant smuggling organizers.

More than 3,150 migrants died or disappeared in the Mediterranean last year, according to the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration.

The central Mediterranean is the deadliest known migration route in the world, accounting for 80% of the deaths and disappearances in the Mediterranean.

Türkiye, which already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any other country in the world, is taking new measures at its borders to prevent a fresh influx of migrants, balancing a humanitarian policy and the need to stop thousands from risking their lives.

As most irregular migrants try to infiltrate Türkiye through its eastern borders, the country recently began constructing a security wall. Authorities say 80% of the wall and a 1,234-kilometer (767-mile) patrolling strip next to the wall are completed, with the remaining section set to be completed within the year.

The Directorate of Migration set up “mobile migration points” to speed up the processing of irregular migrants. The migration points, the first of its kind in the world, help law enforcement in the field to check for irregular migrants.