Nearly 1,300 irregular migrants arrested in operations across Türkiye

Türkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the successful execution of “Kalkan-31” operations, resulting in the apprehension of 1,298 irregular migrants and 43 human smuggling organizers, seven of whom are foreign nationals.

Nationwide efforts mobilize thousands of personnel

• The operations covered 5,735 locations across the country, involving 28,835 personnel and 9,074 teams.
• Inspections targeted abandoned buildings, entertainment venues, truck garages, terminals, ports, and public transport hubs.
• A total of 426,565 individuals underwent identity checks.

Comprehensive inspections

• Authorities inspected 4,606 abandoned buildings, 8,048 public venues, 483 terminals, and 5,648 other sites, amounting to a total of 18,785 locations.
• The apprehended migrants are being processed for repatriation.

Minister’s statement

“We continue our fight against irregular migration and migrant smuggling with determination to ensure the peace and security of our country,” Yerlikaya stated in his social media post on X, formerly Twitter.

Ülke genelinde düzenlenen “KALKAN-31” operasyonlarında 7’si yabancı uyruklu olmak üzere toplam:
⛔️43 göçmen kaçakçılığı organizatörü ve
⛔️1.298 düzensiz göçmen yakalandı❗️

Ülkemizin huzur ve güvenliğini sağlamak için düzensiz göç ve göçmen kaçakçılığına karşı mücadelemizi… pic.twitter.com/cVDcOMSiKQ

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) November 25, 2024

“I congratulate our Chief Public Prosecutor’s Offices who coordinated the operations and our Heroic Police, Gendarmerie, Coast Guard and Immigration Administration personnel who carried out the operations,” Yerlikaya added.