Security forces have arrested 135 illegal immigrants in separate operations in the western Turkish Aydin province and the southwestern province of Antalya as they were attempting to cross Turkish borders with Europe.
The detained immigrants came from Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia and Sri Lanka. They will be deported from the country once the legal proceedings are completed, according to a report released by the state-run Anatolian news agency.
Positioned on the frontier between East and West, Turkey has always been a major crossroad for refugees and illegal immigrants traveling from their economically strapped homelands in search of work and a better life in Western Europe.
A recent report issued by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) shows that there are more than 1 million illegal immigrants in Turkey. It adds that over 300,000 illegal immigrants enter Turkey per annum.
The report also states that the illegal immigrants in Turkey come from 163 different countries. While half of the illegal immigrants work as servants or babysitters, many choose to work as sex workers, construction workers, waiters or cooks.
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