The İstanbul Governor’s Office on Thursday released a statement on migration, announcing that a total of 12,474 illegal migrants were apprehended and sent to processing centers between July 12 and July 31.
The migrants were sent to centers designated by the Interior Ministry where procedures for their deportation have been initiated.
At the same time, 2,630 unregistered Syrian refugees were moved to temporary shelters in various provinces. Others are being returned to the provinces where they are registered, said the statement.
The Turkish government has tightened its migration policy, especially in İstanbul where the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) recently suffered an unexpected mayoral election defeat against the opposition.
The interior minister announced they had stopped registering new Syrians in the city and a previous statement by the governor’s office had ordered unregistered Syrians in İstanbul to leave the city by Aug. 20.