Turkey closes its doors to Afghan refugees
How the country’s strained relationship with migrants has impacted its border policy
Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of Afghans have fled to neighboring countries. Turkey, however, has stated it will not be taking in Afghan refugees—a possible reflection of growing xenophobia in the country.
Recently, Mayor Tanju Ozcan of Bolu announced a plan to charge foreigners 10 times more for water and waste services than Turkish citizens. He tweeted, “this hospitality has gone on too long,” and added Turkey had “become a dump for migrants.” His proposal was met with approval from a sizeable number of citizens across the country.
With the government already implementing anti-immigrant policies, the public’s own xenophobia came on display in recent weeks as violence against refugees and immigrants escalated. One need look no further than August 9, 2021, when a knife fight between teen Syrian refugees and Turkish teens in Ankara—in which one Turk died—led to several days of killing and violent clashes against Syrians who had nothing to do with the incident.
Furthering Turkey’s closed door stance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey will not assume the responsibility of taking in Afghan refugees. “[EU] member states only open their doors to a tiny portion of the people who have served them and who are in difficulty,” he said. “You cannot expect Turkey to take on the responsibility of third countries.”
While this move can be seen as protectionist, when paired with rising hate crimes against refugees and the growing rhetoric depicting migrants as “burdens,” it suggests a more xenophobic impetus.
For a time, Turkish–Afghan relations were thriving. As the most prominent Muslim-majority member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Turkey was the first Muslim country, in Nov. 2001, to send troops to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. Looking to rebuild Afghanistan, Turkey opened the Consulate General in Herat and a consulate in Kandahar to facilitate peace talks. It benefited from its relations with Afghanistan—spreading its language and culture across borders through schools and television shows—the latter of which developed a massive following and taught the Afghan people the Turkish language. Turkey had both power and presence in the country.
But at the same time, the situation at home was growing worse. The resources needed to take care of its then 3 million refugees—2.7 million of which were Syrian—were quickly drying up.
Other European countries also did not want to house refugees, resulting in the 2015 EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan which promised resources to Turkey in exchange for refugee resettlement. Ultimately, the deal fell apart. Turkey continued to take in Syrian refugees in place of its European neighbors, while also spending money on Afghanistan. The EU failed to follow through on major components of the deal.
For those reasons—coupled with Turkey’s debt crisis and further economic strains due to COVID-19—President Erdogan is hesitant to foot the bill for any incoming Afghan migrants.
For Afghan refugees fearing for their safety, illegally crossing into Afghanistan then becomes the next best option.
Still, Turkey is home to 182,000 registered Afghan migrants and approximately 120,000 unregistered ones, according to authorities. Aside from those who came legally prior to the Taliban takeover, this number includes refugees who fled to Turkey through Iran’s mountains illegally. Erdogan has made it clear that Turkey’s borders are closed, but for those Afghans already in the country, the path to a legal status is not as clear.
First, the United Nations refugee agency stopped processing asylum applications in Turkey. Instead, claims now go through the Turkish government which has led to a year backlog. Second, many make it through the asylum process only to be immediately deported.
For Afghan refugees fearing for their safety, illegally crossing into Afghanistan then becomes the next best option.
From the perspective of Afghan refugees, they have left Taliban rule for fear of persecution and death, only to end up trapped in a country that openly makes life difficult for them.
Turkey has put measures in place to deter illegal migration, such as preventing Afghans from obtaining residence permits, which are necessary for health care, education and humanitarian aid. It also made Afghans ineligible for temporary protected status, even though Syrian refugees are eligible. Without a residency card or any form of legal status, Afghans are forced to enter the informal market to earn a living—if employers choose to pay them.
From the perspective of Afghan refugees, they have left Taliban rule for fear of persecution and death, only to end up trapped in a country that openly makes life difficult for them.
Now, Turkey is spreading its hard stance against migrants to surrounding countries.
“If a transitional period cannot be established in Afghanistan, the pressure on migration, which has already reached high levels, will increase even more and this situation will pose a serious challenge for everyone,” Erdogan said to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Aug. 20.
The next day, Greece erected a 25 mile wall along its border with Turkey.
Afghan migrants are left seeking a bridge, one that would connect them back to a Taliban-free homeland; or lead them to a country where they would be welcomed. Except as of now, there is no bridge—and all they see instead are the walls closing them in.
