Effects of the re-admission agreements on transit countries and irregular illegal immigrants: Turkey

Readmission agreements are the agreements signed between countries and/or unions in order to both ensure national and international security including border security between the parties within the framework of combating irregular and illegal migration, and to increase their effectiveness. In addition to that, it also covers a comprehensive framework that includes the necessary practices and procedures for individuals who will be readmitted. Illegal and irregular migrations affect the transit countries in many ways. While these agreements provide protection for the target countries affected by irregular illegal migration, they bring additional difficulties by bringing burdens on the transit countries with responsibilities in many aspects such as administrative, technical, financial, and legal areas. Looking at the recent history, Turkey has had to struggle with irregular illegal migrations and been continuing to struggle even today. When we look at the aforementioned migration waves, irregular migrants from Turkey who went to European Union countries refer people who had to change their living area or being forced to do so as a result of the war or conflict in their country of origin. For this reason, it is thought that considering the war, political and social events that took place in the neighbors of Turkey which directly or indirectly affect it, will help us understand why and where irregular migrants try to go to European countries through Turkey, which is among the objectives of this study. After the invasion of Afghanistan by the Union of Soviet and Socialist Republics in 1979, because of the First Gulf War in 1991 and the Second Gulf War in 2003, and finally after the emerge of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Turkey has faced many migrations' flows in time to time. People affected by the aforementioned wars tried to reach their target countries directly or by transiting neighboring countries. Turkey has hosted many immigrants who had to migrate, and it continues to do so. While some of the migrant people aim to live in Turkey legally, some of them aim to go to European countries through Turkey, legally or illegally. To overcome irregular and illegal immigration issue, Turkey has signed readmission agreements. In this context, while the Readmission Protocol was signed between Turkey and Greece in 2001, Readmission Agreement was signed between the European Union and Turkey on 16 December 2013, too. Both Readmission Agreements express that if an immigrant who does not have the legal right to stay on the continent of any of the parties is detected within the borders of that country, the person will be readmitted by the country before entering the target country where he or she presents. Considering the route of the migration wave, the arrival of immigrants from eastern countries and moving towards Europe has brought the image of a "transit country" to Turkey. According to the agreement, all parties undertake to accept the foreigner back in case an illegally crossing immigrant is caught. From this point of view in terms of target countries, the agreement, which is understood as very meaningful and protective, causes difficulties in different aspects to Turkey, which is in the position of a transit country in the migrant journey, and to many transit countries such as Turkey. In the recent years, Readmission Agreements are one of the tools to struggle with the illegal migration preferred by the States or/and Union/s. It is a new phenomenon in migration policy studies which has been including many dynamics and complex determinants of actor states based on the conjunctures. It is being signed between affected parties to ensure both national and international security including border security and increase its effectiveness. These factors require tracking the reflection/s of the agreements on the political decisions of the States and relevant updates in the agreement (if there is any) frequently. In addition to that, these make it difficult to create one type of model to implement and take bases for all the Re-Admission Agreements since it is a must to take into consideration the root causes of the relevant migration flow and its conjuncture. Although, Readmission Agreements are being applied within the coordination with target and transit countries, it directly or indirectly affects more the transit countries in many ways. While Readmission Agreements provide more protection for targeted countries affected by irregular migration, they also pose challenges to transit countries in many aspects. Considering the route of the migration wave, immigrants are mostly from Middle Eastern and African countries towards Europe which brings 'transit country position' to Turkey. That is why, Turkey has carried out the challenges of being a transit country as a result of contracting country of the Readmission Agreement with the EU. The subject of the study is to explore the effects of the Readmission Agreements on the transit countries by considering Turkey. In addition, the lack of a specific and common procedure regarding the fate of illegal immigrants and people whose refugee applications are rejected in a third country or transit country, the difficulties that this situation creates for the persons concerned, and related solutions are among the objectives of the study.