Cuneyt Celik and Mustafa Unal Uysal
December 24, 2020•Update: December 24, 2020
KARS/MERSIN, Turkey
A total of 22 irregular migrants were held in Turkey’s eastern province of Kars and Mediterranean city of Mersin on Thursday.
Turkish gendarmerie teams stopped a passenger bus en route to Istanbul from the eastern Igdir province close to the Karahamza village of Kars.
During an identity check, Turkish forces held five Afghan and two Uzbek nationals who entered the country illegally.
The irregular migrants, each fined 4,350 Turkish liras ($574) for illegal entry, were taken to the provincial migration authority.
Separately, Turkish Coast Guard held 15 irregular migrants off the coast of Mersin province.
The coast guard in a statement said they received information regarding the whereabouts of the irregular migrants, who were located in a rubber boat off the coast of Mersin.
The coast guard also held two suspected human traffickers in the rubber boat.
Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers who want to cross to Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
*Writing by Handan Kazanci and Burak Dag
