A total of 172 irregular migrants were held across Turkey on Monday, officials said. Gendarmerie forces held 119 migrants in eastern Van province, according to a statement from provincial gendarmerie command. The statement said 50 of the migrants are Afghan nationals. At least 38 Syrian migrants, who entered Turkey from Syria using illegal means, were also held in Altınözü district of southern Hatay province.
THE MIGRANTS WERE TRYING TO REACH EUROPE USING ILLEGAL WAYS
In western Muğla province, coast guard units held 10 Palestinian and Yemeni migrants on a rubber boat. Separately, in central Sivas province, police stopped a taxi and held five Afghan irregular migrants.
Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross to Europe, especially since the beginning of the civil war in Syria. Some 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey in 2018, according to the Interior Ministry. The migrants were mostly Afghan, Pakistani, Syrian and Iraqi nationals.