Afghans in Turkey

Last updated
Turkish Afghans
Total population
129,323 (2021) [1] [2]
Languages
Dari  · Pashto  · Uzbek  · Turkish
Religion
Islam

Turkish Afghans are citizens of Turkey and non-citizen residents born in or with ancestors from Afghanistan. This group is part of the larger Afghan diaspora around the world. According to latest reports, there are around 129,323 Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey. [1] [2] The government of Turkey claims that the total Afghan population in its country is around 300,000. [3] [4] At the same time others have mentioned a total of 420,000. [5] This number likely includes citizens, legal residents, visitors, and the aforementioned refugees and asylum seekers. [6] [7] [8] [9] The reason for the different numbers is that there is no proper way to count undocumented foreign nationals in a country.

Contents

The ones who are refugees or asylum seekers are protected from forceful deportation by the well-established non-refoulement principle and the U.N. Convention Against Torture. [10] Like many other migrants, the Afghans often use Turkey as a place of temporary residence to meet overseas family members, relatives and friends. Many others are en route to the European Union (EU) for the purpose of applying for asylum in countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom. [11] Some wealthy ones stay in Turkey on a temporary basis to be smuggled by airlines to as far away as North America. Meanwhile, those found in violation of law are often sent back to Afghanistan. [2] [12]

History

Afghan soldiers were sent by King Amanhullah to help fight against the invading armies and assist Ataturk's fight for freedom. Afghan migration to Turkey dates back to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, when large amounts of Afghans came into Turkey. However, no proper records were kept during the period and due to the obscure state of irregular migration to Turkey, maintaining accurate statistics of Afghan migration has been difficult. In 2002, an article by the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet claimed there were "thousands" of Afghans living throughout the country.[ citation needed ]

Recent migration

Afghans are one of the largest irregular migrant groups in Turkey. From the period 2003–2007, the number of Afghans apprehended were significant, with statistics almost doubling during the last year. Most had fled the War in Afghanistan. In 2005, refugees from Afghanistan numbered 300 and made a sizeable proportion of Turkey's registered migrants. [13] Most of them were spread out over satellite cities with Van and Ağrı being the most specific locations. [14] In the following years, the number of Afghans entering Turkey greatly increased, second only to migrants from Iraq; in 2009, there were 16,000 people designated under the Iraq-Afghanistan category. Despite a dramatic 50 percent reduction by 2010, reports confirmed hundreds living and working in Turkey. [15] As of January 2010, Afghans consisted one-sixth of the 26,000 remaining refugees and asylum seekers. [16] By mid-2021, their total number surged up to 200,000. [4] [1] [2] The President of Turkey stated in August 2021 that there were a total of 300,000 Afghans in Turkey. [3] At the same time France 24 inflated that number to 420,000. [5]

Crime

Public resentment

See also

Related Research Articles

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with over 18,879 staff working in 138 countries as of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghan refugees</span> Nationals of Afghanistan who left their country as a result of major wars or persecution

Afghan refugees are citizens of Afghanistan who were forced to flee from their country as a result the continuous wars that the country has suffered since the Afghan-Soviet war, the Afghan civil war, the Afghanistan war (2001–2021) or either political or religious persecution. The 1978 Saur Revolution, followed by the 1979 Soviet invasion, marked the first major wave of internal displacement and international migration to neighboring Iran and Pakistan; smaller numbers also went to India or to countries of the former Soviet Union. Between 1979 and 1992, more than 20% of Afghanistan's population fled the country as refugees. Following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, many returned to Afghanistan, however many Afghans were again forced to flee during the civil war in the 90s. Over 6 million Afghan refugees were residing in Iran and Pakistan by 2000. Most refugees returned to Afghanistan following the 2001 United States invasion and overthrow of the Taliban regime. Between 2002 and 2012, 5.7 million refugees returned to Afghanistan, increasing the country's population by 25%.

Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, from poorer to richer countries. Illegal residence in another country creates the risk of detention, deportation, and/or other sanctions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration to Turkey</span> Overview of immigration to Turkey

Immigration to Turkey is the process by which people migrate to Turkey to reside in the country. Many, but not all, become Turkish citizens. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and following Turkish War of Independence, an exodus by the large portion of Turkish (Turkic) and Muslim peoples from the Balkans, Caucasus, Crimea, and Greece took refuge in present-day Turkey and moulded the country's fundamental features. Trends of immigration towards Turkey continue to this day, although the motives are more varied and are usually in line with the patterns of global immigration movements. Turkey's migrant crisis is a following period since the 2010s, characterized by high numbers of people arriving and settling in Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugees of Iraq</span>

Refugees of Iraq are Iraqi nationals who have fled Iraq due to war or persecution. In 1980- 2017, large number of refugees fled Iraq, peaking with the Iraq War and continuing until the end of the War in Iraq (2013–2017). Precipitated by a series of conflicts including the Kurdish rebellions during the Iran–Iraq War, Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait (1990) and the Gulf War (1991), the subsequent sanctions against Iraq (1991–2003), culminating in the Iraq War and the subsequent War in Iraq (2013–2017), millions were forced by insecurity to flee their homes in Iraq. Iraqi refugees established themselves in urban areas in other countries rather than refugee camps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration to Greece</span> Overview of immigration to Greece

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The Russian Federation's Law on Refugees defines who is a refugee for purposes of obtaining asylum in the country. The Law defines a refugee as a "person who is outside their country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail themself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution". Upon receiving an asylum seeker's application, the Russian Migration Service determines whether the asylum seeker meets the legislative definition of a "refugee" and should be granted asylum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi diaspora</span>

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British Afghans are British citizens and non-citizen residents born in or with ancestors from, Afghanistan, part of worldwide Afghan diaspora. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that there were 79,000 people born in Afghanistan living in the UK in 2019.

Afghans in Pakistan are temporary residents from Afghanistan who are registered in Pakistan as refugees and asylum seekers. They fall under the jurisdiction of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most of them were born and raised in Pakistan during the last four decades. Additionally, there are also Special Immigrant Visa applicants awaiting to immigrate to the United States.

Afghans in Iran are citizens of Afghanistan who are temporarily residing in Iran as refugees or asylum seekers. They form the largest percent of the Afghan diaspora. The first wave of Afghans crossed into Iran after the start of the Soviet–Afghan War in 1979.

Afghan diaspora refers to the Afghan people that reside and work outside of Afghanistan. They include natives and citizens of Afghanistan who have immigrated to other countries. The majority of the diaspora has been formed by Afghan refugees since the start of the Soviet–Afghan War in 1979; the largest numbers temporarily reside in Iran. As stateless refugees or asylum seekers, they are protected by the well-established non-refoulement principle and the U.N. Convention Against Torture. The ones having at least one American parent are further protected by United States laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African immigration to Israel</span> Movement from Africa to Israel of people that are not natives or Israeli citizens

African immigration to Israel is the international movement to Israel from Africa of people that are not natives or do not possess Israeli citizenship in order to settle or reside there. This phenomenon began in the second half of the 2000s, when a large number of people from Africa entered Israel, mainly through the then-lightly fenced border between Israel and Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula. According to the data of the Israeli Interior Ministry, 26,635 people arrived illegally in this way by July 2010, and over 55,000 by January 2012. In an attempt to curb the influx, Israel constructed the Egypt–Israel barrier. Since its completion in December 2013, the barrier has almost completely stopped the immigration of Africans into Israel across the Sinai border.

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The Hazara people are an ethnic group who are mostly from Afghanistan, primarily from the central regions of Afghanistan, known as Hazarajat, they established a large diaspora that consists of many communities in different countries around the world as part of the later Afghan diaspora. There are currently a million Hazara who live in the Balochistan province of Pakistan mostly in Quetta, many of whom have been settled in the country for generations and are now Pakistani citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 European migrant crisis</span> 2010s migrant crisis in the European Union

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2015 European migrant crisis</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish migrant crisis</span> Migrant crisis experienced by the Republic of Turkey in the 2010s

The Turkish migrant crisis, sometimes referred to as the Turkish refugee crisis, was a period during the 2010s characterised by a high number of people migrating to Turkey. Turkey received the highest number of registered refugees of any country or territory each year from 2014 to 2019, and had the world's largest refugee population according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The majority were refugees of the Syrian Civil War, numbering 3.6 million as of June 2020. In 2018, the UNHCR reported that Turkey hosted 63.4% of all "registered Syrian refugees."

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Afghan refugee crisis brewing on Turkey's eastern border". The New Humanitarian. August 3, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Onward Movements of Afghan Refugees (PDF), UNHCR, March–April 2021, retrieved 2021-08-10
  3. 1 2 "Turkey says hosting 300,000 Afghan refugees, ready for talks with Taliban". TRT World. August 20, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  4. 1 2 "Afghans fleeing the Taliban sparks renewed anti-migrant sentiment in Turkey". The National (Abu Dhabi). July 28, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  5. 1 2 "'Complete stop': New Turkish wall confronts fleeing Afghans". France 24. August 18, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-27. Official data shows 120,000 Afghan refugees in Turkey, and up to 300,000 undocumented Afghan migrants.
  6. "Turkey Faces Dilemma as Afghan Refugees Start Arriving". Voice of America. July 29, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  7. "Afghan refugees are reaching Turkey in greater numbers". The Economist. July 31, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-10. Many would like to get to Greece
  8. "As Taliban Advance, Thousands of Afghans Seek Refuge in Turkey". The Wall Street Journal. July 26, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-10. Migrants from Afghanistan are making arduous journeys through Iran to reach Turkey, which already hosts millions of Syrian refugees
  9. "'Hundreds' of Afghans flee to Turkey every day in wake of Taliban takeover". France 24. July 16, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  10. "Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-08-10. Article 3 ... No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.
  11. Destination Unknown: Afghans on the move in Turkey, ReliefWeb, June 23, 2020, retrieved 2021-08-10
  12. Mass Deportations of Afghans from Turkey: Thousands of migrants sent back in a deportation drive, ReliefWeb, June 21, 2018, retrieved 2021-08-10
  13. UNHCR Ankara Office
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2010-02-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "Number of Iraqi, Afghan refugees in Turkey halved last year". Archived from the original on 14 September 2012.
  16. "Turkey".

Further reading