Illegal immigrants exceeds EU
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 03, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - The number of illegal immigrants apprehended in Turkey is more than in any European Union country, Interior Minister Beşir Atalay said yesterday.
His remarks came in response to a written inquiry by main opposition Republican People’s Party Deputy Ali İhsan Köktürk about illegal immigrants and refugees.
In response, Atalay said there had been no illegal immigrants who had entered Turkey and then been granted refugee status by Turkish authorities since 2005 and emphasized that the number of foreigners with refugee status in the country was 43.
"Between 2005 and October 2008, a total of 8,914 foreigners who came to Turkey through legal and illegal means were granted asylum and they were transferred to third countries," he added.
Turkey maintains a geographic limitation for non-European refugees, who are eligible only for temporary asylum-seeker status. The U.N. refugee agency in Turkey also receives applications for refugee status under its mandate concerning non-European asylum-seekers and due to the temporary nature of asylum in Turkey, resettles those granted refugee status to third countries. The EU is pressing Ankara to lift the geographic limitation practice.
Atalay said 248 foreigners from Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Eritrea, Morocco, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Congo, Lebanon, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Syria who sought asylum while residing at shelters were first registered and then subjected to asylum procedures.
In response, Atalay said there had been no illegal immigrants who had entered Turkey and then been granted refugee status by Turkish authorities since 2005 and emphasized that the number of foreigners with refugee status in the country was 43.
"Between 2005 and October 2008, a total of 8,914 foreigners who came to Turkey through legal and illegal means were granted asylum and they were transferred to third countries," he added.
Turkey maintains a geographic limitation for non-European refugees, who are eligible only for temporary asylum-seeker status. The U.N. refugee agency in Turkey also receives applications for refugee status under its mandate concerning non-European asylum-seekers and due to the temporary nature of asylum in Turkey, resettles those granted refugee status to third countries. The EU is pressing Ankara to lift the geographic limitation practice.
Atalay said 248 foreigners from Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Eritrea, Morocco, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Congo, Lebanon, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Syria who sought asylum while residing at shelters were first registered and then subjected to asylum procedures.