Bangladeshis among 310 ‘migrants’ detained in Turkey

Turkey’s security forces caught at least 310 what they called irregular migrants on Friday, Anadolu news agency reported quoting security sources.

The police reportedly held 138 migrants in Turkey’s eastern Van province following their illegal entry into the country.

The migrants were said to be Afghan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals.

A total of 36 migrants were rounded up in the northwestern province of Kirklareli, when they were trying to reach Europe, the report said quoting the police.

Separately, 136 migrants were held in Turkey’s northwestern Edirne province adjacent to the border with Greece and Bulgaria as they were reportedly attempting to illegally cross into Europe.

The report said Turkey has been a main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011, when the Syrian civil war broke out.

Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi national was arrested in Houston allegedly for his role in a scheme to smuggle undocumented immigrants from Mexico into the United States.

KGNS.tv reported that 30-year-old Moktar Hossain brought 14 Bangladeshi nationals to the US in exchange for a fee, from March of 2017 to August this year.