RASC News Agency: Turkish police have announced that, as part of the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration in the country, they recently detained 16 Afghanistani, Palestinian, and Syrian asylum seekers in the city of Sakarya.
The Turkish police stated on Saturday, March 16th, that the detained asylum seekers have been transferred to centers for foreign nationals awaiting deportation, and three smugglers have also been arrested by security forces in connection with this matter. Turkish media also reported that the process of identifying and apprehending asylum seekers and smugglers is underway in the city of Sakarya and other cities across Turkey.
The process of identifying and deporting asylum seekers from Turkey has intensified in recent times, and Turkish authorities have stated that operations to combat illegal entry and exit of asylum seekers across the country are ongoing. Turkey has previously detained hundreds of Afghanistani asylum seekers in various cities across the country and deported them back to Afghanistan.
Following the Taliban’s takeover of the country, a large number of Afghanistani citizens have migrated to neighboring countries and the region, with many using Turkey as a transit point to reach European countries.