Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 51 migrant smuggling organizers and 273 irregular migrants were caught in the latest operations against migrant smuggling organizers and irregular migration in 22 provinces.
Minister of Internal Affairs Yerlikaya announced that 51 migrant smuggling organizers and 2 irregular migrants were caught in operations carried out in 273 provinces in the last 22 weeks against migrant smuggling organizers and irregular migration.
Stating that 98 of the migrant smuggling organizers were arrested and the procedures for the others were ongoing, Yerlikaya noted the following regarding the details of the operation:
“Under the coordination of our Presidency of Migration Management and the General Directorate of Security's Combating Migrant Smuggling and Border Gates Department; operations were organized by the Provincial Police Chiefs' Combating Migrant Smuggling and Border Gates Branch Directorates in Istanbul, Adana, Izmir, Erzurum, Kocaeli, Van, Hatay, Mersin, Muğla, Nevşehir, Sivas, Edirne, Tokat, Trabzon, Iğdır, Afyonkarahisar, Ağrı, Balıkesir, Gaziantep, Isparta, Aydın, Bursa, Çanakkale, Erzincan, Hakkari, Kırklareli, Rize, Sakarya, Tekirdağ, Şanlıurfa, Yozgat, Ardahan, Kilis, Adıyaman, Amasya, Antalya, Burdur, Elazığ, Giresun, Kars, Kastamonu, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Kahramanmaraş, Niğde, Ordu, Uşak, Bayburt, Yalova, and Osmaniye. The process of sending back the detected irregular migrants to their countries has been initiated.”
Minister Yerlikaya congratulated the governors, district governors, police officers who carried out the operation and the personnel of the Directorate of Migration Management and continued his statement as follows:
“Turkey offers an exemplary model to the entire world in migration management by respecting human rights and freedoms, adhering to the values of law and civilization, and never compromising public order and security. We address the issue of migration in all its dimensions, including regular and irregular migration, international protection, voluntary, safe and honorable return, combating migrant smuggling, and border management.”
