5 - Turkey

Summary

The Turkish government was effectively absent from migration matters during the 1990s and first half of the 2000s. Responsibility for refugees was primarily handled by the UNHCR, and access to basic services for irregular migrants and refugees residing outside their assigned locale was left to international and local civil society organizations. Beginning in 2008 Turkey took steps to reform its migration policy, introducing a new law in 2013. While the EU accession process of the 2000s provided the initial trigger for reform, the continued impetus was driven by an understanding and acceptance of Turkey’s new migratory role among a critical faction of the government, coupled with a response to international shaming at the European level. Yet the implications the reform had for the daily lives of individual migrants and refugees was minimal, and many continue to be largely self-reliant, informally integrating into the Turkish economy. Though the new law moved Turkey closer toward a liberal engagement policy, civil society organizations are weary of the post-2013 move toward securitized, repressive migration policies, partially due to the arrival of millions of Syrians since 2011, the 2016 EU-Turkey deal, and the country’s continued decline into authoritarian governance.