The influx of illegal migrants into the United States (U.S.) has become a top political issue and is likely to be a prominent topic for upcoming presidential candidates. The southern border, in particular, has received significant attention due to the rising number of individuals attempting to cross. People from over 150 countries seek to enter the U.S. through this border for various reasons. Many are driven by the search for better economic opportunities, escaping countries with high unemployment or economic crises. Others flee violence and instability from regions plagued by crime and political turmoil, such as parts of Central America. Some seek asylum to escape persecution based on ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, or sexual orientation. Additionally, family reunification motivates many as they aim to join relatives already residing in the U.S. Environmental factors, such as climate change and natural disasters, including droughts and hurricanes, also force people to seek refuge in safer areas.
Despite various efforts to control the situation, the flow of migrants continues, and the involvement of Mexican cartels in human smuggling has made the situation worse. Recently, the demographic of illegal migrants entering the U.S. through the southern border has expanded to include people from Turkiye. This article, using the author’s interviews with migrants, looks into why Turkish migrants are choosing this route and how they are managing to enter the U.S. illegally.
For many years, Turkiye has been a major transit country for illegal migrants trying to reach Western Europe. Hundreds of thousands of migrants from Syria and Afghanistan have traveled through Turkiye. Turkish police reports indicate that criminal networks are exploiting Turkiye to facilitate this movement. Currently, Turkiye serves as a key distribution point for migrants heading to Greece and Italy, from where they proceed to their final destinations in Western Europe. The large number of migrants in Turkiye—over five million Syrians and 500,000 Afghans, many of whom are unregistered—has given the Turkish government significant leverage. This leverage allows Turkiye to pressure European countries by threatening to open its borders and let these migrants enter Europe. So far, this tactic has been effective, with European countries largely remaining silent despite Turkiye’s non-democratic and threatening politics and tones.
Recent political and economic changes in Türkiye have led many people to leave the country in search of better opportunities in Western nations. This trend intensified following the corruption scandals of December 2013, which involved several cabinet ministers and the prime minister. The AKP government chose to suppress these scandals despite strong evidence and responded by imprisoning the investigators. To avoid further scrutiny, the government also purged thousands of officials, creating an atmosphere of fear and distrust.
The situation in Turkiye worsened significantly after the controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016, which led to a more authoritarian government. This shift replaced the country’s already fragile democracy with a highly repressive regime. Turkiye now has one of the highest numbers of imprisoned journalists worldwide. Since the 2016 coup attempt, the government has launched 2.2 million terrorism investigations with scant evidence and labeled over 600,000 people as terrorists, severely limiting freedom of speech.
These problems are compounded by widespread corruption and a declining economy. Turkiye’s Corruption Perceptions Index felldramatically from 52nd place in 2013 to 115th in 2023. The number of people living below the food poverty line was 14 million in 2013, but it rose to 51 million in 2023. As a result, more Turks are living in poverty, prompting many to seek refuge abroad.
Criminal networks between Turkiye and Latin America have increasingly collaborated with cartel groups. Turkiye has become a key distribution hub for cocaine and has also been involved in the transfer of large quantities of fentanyl precursors from Turkiye to Guatemala. In addition to drug trafficking, these networks have expanded into human smuggling. This is evident from the growing number of Turkish citizens traveling to the United States, as illustrated in Figure 1 below. The number of migrants seeking asylum at the southern border quadrupled from 2021 to 2022 and remained steady in 2023. In the first six months of 2024 alone, the number of Turkish migrants had already reached 11,599. If this trend continues, 2024 is expected to surpass previous years.
Figure 1: Number of Illegal Turkish Migrants Crossing the U.S. Southern Border
Turkish human smugglers are involved not only in the illegal transfer of Turkish migrants but also in smuggling migrants from Central Asia. Uzbek, Tajik, and Kyrgyz travelers often use the same routes. These travelers connect with Turkish smugglers via social media and receive help for their illegal journey to the U.S. southern border. If the number of Central Asian migrants facilitated by Turkish smugglers were included alongside the Turkish migrants, the overall figure of individuals linked to Turkiye entering the U.S. would be significantly higher.
Turkish human smugglers initially used Mexico for their operations due to easy visa taking procedures. They would first transport migrants from Turkiye to Mexico and then help them cross the U.S. southern border illegally. All the smugglers involved were Turkish citizens, and they collaborated with Mexican cartels. These cartels controlled specific areas in Mexican towns, which were used to facilitate the illegal crossing of migrants into the United States. According to the author’s interview with a traveler who crossed the U.S. border illegally: “I crossed the Mexican border to enter the United States illegally. I learned about this route from a friend who had used it before. I flew from Istanbul to Cancun, Mexico. The smuggler took my photo and scheduled a specific flight time. He told me he would send my photo to the Cancun airport police to help ease my entry into the country. Getting through customs and leaving the airport was straightforward. Two other smugglers met me outside the airport, took me to a safe house, and instructed me to wait for further instructions. After two days, I took another flight to Tijuana, near the U.S. border. There, I met another smuggler at the airport who handed me over to yet another smuggler. This final smuggler helped me climb over the border wall using a ladder. Everyone in the smuggling network was Turkish, except for a few individuals who assisted us in Tijuana and helped us reach the border.”
Turkish human smugglers have recently changed their methods. After their previous tactics of using Mexico to smuggle illegal migrants were exposed, they began using various Latin American countries to disguise travelers as tourists. In one interview, a traveler shared, “I flew from Istanbul to Brazil, then to Colombia, and finally to Mexico. From there, I was transferred to El Paso to cross the border illegally.” Another traveler recounted, “I flew from Istanbul to Caracas, then to Guatemala. When I arrived in Guatemala, another Turkish smuggler was waiting for me. Then he helped me to take bus to Mexico City. After that, I flew to Tijuana.” Some travelers reported spending at least eight days flying and landing in different Latin American cities to create the appearance of being tourists.
Turkish smugglers use social media to lure travelers into their illegal operations by creating fake advertisements and posing as travel agencies. They post short videos showcasing travelers who have successfully reached the U.S. and use these endorsements to attract new customers. Additionally, they offer money-back guarantees if the illegal journey fails. The cost for an individual from Türkiye to travel to the United States ranges from $11,000 to $14,000, depending on the journey’s difficulty and risks. Prices can rise if border security measures are tightened or if drug cartels increase their fees. In 2023, nearly 19,000 Turkish people used smugglers to cross borders, generating over $200 million in revenue for the smugglers that year. This underscores the profitability of the human smuggling trade between Turkiye and the United States.
To conclude, rising authoritarianism and a worsening economy in Turkiye have driven increasing numbers of Turks to leave the country. While many Turks have chosen to travel illegally to EU countries, thousands have used the U.S. southern border to enter the U.S. illegally. Well-organized Turkish human smuggling networks have exploited this demand. These groups, adept at seizing opportunities, have shifted from various types of trafficking to human smuggling. They bribe customs officials and collaborate with Mexican cartels, whose controlled territories are used by the Turkish smugglers. The smuggling networks are mainly operated by Turkish smugglers who constantly adjust their methods in response to the risks and challenges they face. As these smuggling networks evolve, it is crucial for authorities to enhance international cooperation and strengthen border controls to address this complex issue effectively.
