ANKARA (MEMO) – 

Turkish authorities have prevented the entry of around 600,000 migrants since 2021, a report says.

According to the Turkish newspaper, Daily Sabah, which cited official statistics, 451,096 migrants were prevented from entering the country last year, followed by 127,256 more being prevented this year as of 14 April 2022.

That puts the number of migrants prevented since 2021 at over 578,000, along with additional numbers such as 19,336 Syrians deported for “security reasons” since 2016, and over 320,000 foreign migrants altogether having been deported since that same year.

While many of those deported have been Syrians, a vast majority of migrants and asylum seekers prevented from entering Turkey are Afghans, who have attempted to cross Turkey to reach Europe over the past year since and prior to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

Anti-refugee and migrant sentiment has long brewed amongst much of Turkish society over the past decade, as the country has been the main focal point for Syrians and others fleeing to Europe, but concern truly sets in when citizens witnessed large waves of irregular Afghan migrants crossing towns in eastern Turkey while attempting to avoid capture by authorities.

 

Germany Ditches Afghans in Favor of Ukrainians

 

Meanwhile, hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan who sought sanctuary in Germany have been evicted following the arrival of a large number of Ukrainians fleeing the on-going conflict in their country.

According to a report by Foreign Policy last week, many Afghans have received eviction notices from German authorities, with some given just 24 hours’ notice.

“The evictions purposefully weren’t publicized. Some people had lived in their homes for years and were ripped out of their social structures, including children who were moved to locations far from their respective schools,” said Tareq Alaows, a board member of the Berlin Refugee Council.

According to the report, the eviction decision was made by Berlin’s Senate Department for Integration, Labor, and Social Services who said it was “based on operationally necessary and difficult considerations” and that there is no alternative because Ukrainians, including many women with children, needed a roof over their heads and a bed.

“We regret that this caused additional hardships to the Afghan families [and that] the affected people had to move out of their familiar surroundings and now possibly have to keep up with their social connections with great difficulty,” said Stefan Strauss, the department’s press secretary.