Abstract:

After the Syrians, the most important actor in the migration and refugee debates in Turkey in recent years is the Afghans. Afghanistan, which has been one of the important centers of wars and conflicts and therefore political and economic instability since its independence in 1919, is one of the important source countries for world migration and refugee movements. After Pakistan and Iran, one of the countries affected by this migration is Turkey. Although it does not have a border with Turkey, hundreds of thousands of Afghans live and work in Turkey as irregular migrants. Especially after the Taliban took over the administration in Afghanistan in August 2021, the portrayal of the massive crossing of Afghans across the Turkish border on social media has created a public reaction. In this context, it has brought up discussions about influencing the demographic structure of the country and/or the invasion of Turkey. In this study, the reasons of irregular Afghan migration, migration processes, why they preferred Turkey and the partial results of the migration are discussed through the findings of in-depth interviews with 15 irregular Afghan immigrants living in Istanbul.

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