Turkey Arrests More Than 33,000 Afghan Migrants in First 10 Months of 2026
Turkey Arrests More Than 33,000 Afghan Migrants in First 10 Months of 2026
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Turkish authorities detained 33,341 Afghan nationals in the first 10 months of 2026, making Afghans the largest group of undocumented migrants apprehended in the country, according to official immigration figures.
More than 120,000 foreign nationals were detained across Turkey between January and October, according to figures released by Turkey’s Directorate General of Migration Management on November 7. Afghans accounted for the largest share, followed by nationals of Syria, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Morocco, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan and Yemen.
The latest figures show a continued rise in the number of Afghan nationals detained in Turkey. During the first eight months of 2026, Turkish authorities apprehended 25,314 Afghans as part of nearly 95,000 detentions involving undocumented migrants of all nationalities.
The migration authority said the detainees lacked valid residence permits or other required legal documentation. However, it did not provide a breakdown of how many were subsequently deported, released or remained in immigration detention.
The figures also showed that Turkish authorities detained 11,089 people on suspicion of involvement in human trafficking and migrant smuggling during the same 10-month period.
The scale of the arrests comes amid continued pressure on Afghan migrants in Turkey, where undocumented Afghans face the risk of detention and deportation. The actual number of Afghans expelled during the period remains unclear, as Turkish authorities have not published comprehensive deportation figures.
The United Nations previously reported that Turkey deported more than 13,000 Afghan nationals during the first five months of 2026, highlighting the continuing scale of returns to a country already struggling with humanitarian and economic challenges.
