The European Union’s financial support for Turkey has enabled the construction and operation of 30 migrant removal centers in the country, where detainees are reportedly held under terrible conditions before being deported to countries deemed unsafe by Brussels. This funding, which is part of an €11 billion aid package designed to help Ankara process and house four million people, has been criticized for contributing to a crackdown on migration that may violate European law.
Since the Syrian refugee crisis of 2015, Turkey has played a vital role in managing the flow of migrants into Europe. The EU’s financial support has also helped Turkey strengthen its border security and reduce the number of new arrivals. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used his country’s role in managing the crisis to extort cash and concessions from the EU, occasionally releasing large numbers of migrants toward Europe as a bargaining chip.
In recent years, much of this EU funding has been redirected towards deporting hundreds of thousands of migrants. According to Politico, six EU-financed reception centers have now been converted into “removal centers,” and the European Commission has funded the construction of 14 such facilities, refurbishment of 11 more, and staffing and operation of a total of 30.
Citing testimony from 37 former detainees held in 22 EU-funded facilities, Politico described conditions at these removal centers as abysmal. Migrants are reportedly denied food and medical treatment, subjected to torture, and beaten until they sign papers requesting “voluntary” deportation.
Turkey’s government has dismissed allegations of ill-treatment or coercion of migrants. As of last month, more than 715,000 Syrians have reportedly returned “voluntarily, safely and with dignity,” to their home country, according to the Directorate General of Migration Management in Ankara. Between 2021 and 2022, Turkey also claims to have returned more than 66,000 migrants to Afghanistan; however, Politico’s sources say that the true number is far higher.
During his re-election campaign last year, Erdogan vowed to oversee the “voluntary” deportation of a million migrants to northern Syria. This pledge has raised concerns among European officials, as EU law prohibits the deportation of migrants to countries like Syria and Afghanistan, which are considered unsafe by Brussels.
The alleged conditions at Turkey’s detention centers have also been criticized in multiple European Commission reports. However, a spokesperson for the commission insists that it is up to Turkey to decide how it uses its EU funding, stating that “Türkiye has its own set of legislation when it comes to recognition of refugees and migration management” and that it is “the responsibility of Turkish authorities to thoroughly investigate allegations of wrongdoing.