A Quarter of Them Afghan: Turkey Announces Detention of 120,000 Migrants in 10 Months

Turkish migration data revealed that approximately 120,000 migrants were detained during the first ten months of this year, including 33,000 Afghans, as part of operations conducted by authorities to track irregular migrants.

According to figures released today, Saturday, by the Turkish Directorate General of Migration Management, more than 120,000 foreign nationals were detained between January and October.

Afghans constituted the largest group, followed by nationals from Syria, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Morocco, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen, according to the Afghan news agency Khama Press on Saturday.

The latest figures indicate a continuous increase in the number of Afghan nationals being detained in Turkey. During the first eight months of 2026, Turkish authorities arrested 25,314 Afghans, among approximately 95,000 detention operations involving undocumented migrants of all nationalities.