Turkey detains hundreds of migrants ahead of close-run election

Over a thousand "irregular" migrants have been detained by Turkish authorities, along with 37 people smugglers, the Turkish ministry of interior announced on Monday, amid an ongoing focus on migration and refugees in the upcoming elections. 

The massive operation saw 1,353 people detained as 33,401 personnel raided abandoned terminals, ports, public transport stations, and public entertainment venues across Turkey, according to Huriyet News.

The move comes less than six weeks before a general election on 14 May when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces one of the biggest challenges of his 20 years in power.

Turkish opposition politicians are using the migration issue to attack the president, using nationalistic and xenophobic language.

Turkey currently hosts at least 3.6 million Syrian refugees and hundreds of thousands of Afghans. 

Biz verdiği sözü göreve gelince unutanlardan, sandık ufukta görününce vaat bohçasını açıp seçim sonrası üzerine yatanlardan değiliz.

Biz sözüne, kavline sadık, vaatlerinin arkasında duran Cumhur İttifakı’yız. Milletimizin beklentilerini boşa çıkarmamakta kararlıyız.

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) April 1, 2023

"There [is] news that Afghan fugitives are flowing into our country," Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and Erdogan's main challenger, announced Sunday on social media.

"I call our soldiers. Homeland is our homeland, and the border is our honour. Do your duty at the border, don't listen to anyone."

Kilicdaroglu, known by his supporters as "Kemal Gandhi", has long espoused anti-refugee rhetoric.

He has recently pledged to deport 2 million Syrian refugees within his first two years in power and close all "illegal" crossings within the first week of this presidency, should he be elected.

He is currently leading Erdogan by three to six points.

Afgan kaçakların ülkemize aktığının haberleri geliyor. Mehmetçiğimize sesleniyorum. Vatan hepimizin vatanı, hudut da hepimizin namusu. Sınırda görevinizi yapın, kimseyi dinlemeyin.

— Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (@kilicdarogluk) April 2, 2023

Refugees in Turkey have frequently been the target of racist attacks and illegal deportations back to Syria.

Last week, Turkish Defence Minister Hukusi Akar announced that around 60,000 Syrian refugees have been returned home "voluntarily" following the 6 February devastating earthquake.

Erdogan also said in January that 550,000 Syrian refugees had "returned" to areas in Syria that supposedly have been "cleared of terrorism and made safe".