6,122 illegal immigrants caught in Istanbul

Turkish security forces have captured a total of 6,122 illegal immigrants in Istanbul in operations launched since July 12, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Wednesday.

"Among those captured, there were around 1,000 Syrians and 2,600 Afghan nationals," Soylu said in a televised speech, noting all illegal immigrants, except Syrians, would be sent to repatriation centers to be deported.

Illegal Syrian immigrants have been sent to refugee camps rather than being deported, as they are all under temporary protection status, according to the minister.

"We need to keep them under control," he said.

Around 100,000 refugees have been staying in camps across Turkey, the minister said, without disclosing their nationalities.

There are a total of 1.06 million registered refugees in Istanbul, 547,000 of them Syrians, according to the authorities.

Soylu also noted that the authorities have stepped up efforts to curb the employment of illegal immigrants, and employers who do not obey the rules will face hefty fines from now on.

On Monday, the Istanbul governor's office ordered Syrian refugees who were registered somewhere else in Turkey to leave Istanbul and return to their places of registration by Aug. 20.