site.btaIstanbul Police Check Nightclubs for Illegal Migrants

This week Istanbul police have initiated a new practice in search of illegal migrants, checking entertainment venues ranging from nightclubs to tour boats on the Bosphorus, Turkish media report.

The first inspection carried out late on July 5 resulted in the apprehension of 354 illegal migrants, Hurriyet said.

Istanbul police targeted Avcilar, Kucukcekmece, Buyukcekmece, Kadikoy, Bakirkoy, Beyoglu, Bagcilar, Esenyurt, Fatih and Zeytinburnu districts, which were chosen due to their known density of illegal migrants.

The captured illegal migrants have been handed over to removal centres for deportation.

Police officials have emphasized that inspections will continue in districts with high concentrations of illegal migrants, while also expanding to other areas in the coming days. The aim is to conduct the non-stop evening inspections until the issue of illegal migration is resolved effectively in Istanbul.

Turkiye has recently seen heated arguments about migrants. The authorities say there are around 4 million of them, but the opposition claims they are more than 10 million. Migrants were one of the main issues during the election campaign in May 2023.