Turkey
Eminonu, Istanbul
Full Name: Republic of Turkey
Date of Independence: October 29, 1923
Declaration of Republic of Turkey after the fall of the Ottoman Empire
Capital: Ankara
Population: 82.0 million (est. July 2020)
Foreign-Born Population:
Government Structure: Presidential Republic
Leader: Chief of State/Head of Government President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Primary Flow of Immigration:
Receiving Country
Immigrant Population - 5,877,000
3,743,000 from Syria, largest country of origin
Major Destinations of Emigrants:
Germany is a major destination for Turkish emigrants: 1,531,000
Primary “Push” Factors:
Turkey’s crucial location as buffer zone between the Middle East and Europe makes it a gatekeeper country for many fleeing war in Middle East nations like Syria
Current Stance on Immigration & Immigration Policy:
Turkey has been tightening its restrictions on migrant movement throughout the country with an increasing number of detention facilities and strengthening its western border
It was the center of the 2016 Turkey-EU deal, which expanded detention center facilities with encouragement of the European Union
There was a 2019 crackdown on undocumented Syrians and informal labor in the city of Istanbul motivated by the deal
Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protections (LFIP) - primary law governing detentions and the protection of asylum seekers
Amendments made after 2016 coup attempt gave more power to police and military personnel and restricted the rights of non-citizens
Further Reading:
“The EU-Turkey Deal, Five Years On: A Frayed and Controversial but Enduring Blueprint” https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/eu-turkey-deal-five-years-on
“EU tells Turkey to take back migrants from Greece” https://www.dw.com/en/eu-tells-turkey-to-take-back-migrants-from-greece/a-57043879
“Refugee pushbacks: Greece prepares to indicts whistleblowers” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/14/refugee-pushbacks-greece-prepares-to-indict-whistleblowers
—Safiya Umrani
Sources:
Turkey Immigration DETENTION PROFILE. Oct. 2019, www.globaldetentionproject.org/countries/europe/turkey#country-report.
“Immigrant and Emigrant Populations by Country of Origin and Destination.” Migrationpolicy.org, Immigration Policy Institute, 15 July 2020, www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/immigrant-and-emigrant-populations-country-origin-and-destination?width=1000&height=850&iframe=true#.YHh2VS2cZp9
“World Migration Report 2020.” PDF file. Edited by Marie McAuliffe and Binod Khadria, UN Migration, International Organization for Migration, Nov. 2019, www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/wmr_2020.pdf.
Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 13 Apr. 2021, (last updated), www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/turkey/.
“Eminonu, Istanbul.” Unsplash, Engin Yapici, 15 May 2020, unsplash.com/photos/WA1u0scVLZU/info.
Federal Research Division. “Country Profile: Turkey.” Library of Congress, Aug. 2008.
