Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya Vows Unyielding Fight Against Irregular Migration and Human Trafficking

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya Vows Unyielding Fight Against Irregular Migration and Human Trafficking

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated, “From our first day in the Cabinet, following the directives of our President, we have been tirelessly fighting against irregular migration and human trafficking organizers without interruption.”

Ali Yerlikaya attended a meeting at Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality with representatives from chambers and non-governmental organizations. The meeting, which focused on migration management, irregular migration, and combating human trafficking, included prominent figures such as Immigration Management President Atilla Toros, Deputy Chairman of the AK Party Abdulhamit Gül, Governor Kemal Çeber, Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Şahin, AK Party Member of Parliament Derya Bakbak, representatives of security units, district mayors, institution directors, NGO representatives, and businesspersons.

Unyielding Fight Against Irregular Migration

Following the meeting, Minister Yerlikaya highlighted that Gaziantep ranks second after Istanbul in terms of regular migration numbers. He stated, “We convened with our parliamentarians, mayors, chamber representatives, and NGO representatives on these issues. We exchanged ideas on matters that we need to focus on together. As the Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with our Immigration Management Department, we have identified what we can do together. Since our first day in the Cabinet, under the mandate of our President, we have been unyielding in our fight against irregular migration and human trafficking organizers. We have shared these statistics with the public and our esteemed nation in our yearly assessments.”

Minister Yerlikaya emphasized that their approach starts and ends with combating irregular migration at its source. He also underlined the significance of Gaziantep as a major metropolitan city, indicating that while they continue their relentless fight against irregular migration, they are also working on managing regular migration. Addressing the issue of unregistered activities, Minister Yerlikaya stated, “In the near future, as per the directives of our President, we will have new initiatives to tackle unregistered activities. We have completed our preparations for the expansions expected by the public and the business world.”

Increasing the Number of Mobile Migration Point Vehicles in Gaziantep to 25

Minister Ali Yerlikaya also made significant statements about the Mobile Migration Point Vehicles, which facilitate and expedite the identification of irregular migrants. He announced that the number of Mobile Migration Point Vehicles in Gaziantep has been increased to 25, adding, “We have also begun this work simultaneously in Şanlıurfa and Kilis. We have a timeline. Just as all Istanbulites have seen the success of our uninterrupted struggle since July 19, 2023, in Istanbul, we are determined to bring this struggle to a much more planned, organized, and stable point here as well.”