March 29, 2018•Update: March 29, 2018
By Yunus Okur
ERZURUM, Turkey
At least 305 undocumented migrants were held in across Turkey on Thursday, according to a security source.
In eastern Erzurum province, Afghan and Pakistani migrants were rounded up after police received a tip-off about a group of migrants walking around a bus terminal, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.
Following the legal procedure in a police station, the migrants -- including old women and children -- will be taken to a repatriation center in Askale district, the source added.
In the Aegean city of Izmir, gendarmerie teams held 34 undocumented migrants in Urla district and another nine in Cesme district. Among them were Syrian and Iraqi nationals.
Another 11 people were held during a police operation in northeastern Edirne province.
In Turkey’s central Anatolian province of Konya, a total of 10 Afghan nationals were held, Turkish police said.
Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since the beginning of the civil war in Syria.
Among migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, the majority came from Pakistan -- around 15,000 -- followed by Afghans at around 12,000. Syrians totaled about 10,000.
There has been a 60 percent increase in migrant flow since 2016. The number was 31,000 in 2016.
* Savas Guler in Konya contributed to this story.
