ISTANBUL, July 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 775 illegal migrants and five organizers were detained in the Turkish western city of Izmir over the last weeks, the state-run broadcaster TRT reported on Wednesday.
Twenty different human smuggling schemes in different districts of Izmir were foiled from July 7 to 18, it said.
Five suspects, who reportedly attempted to smuggle the migrants to the Greek Islands, were detained on human trafficking charges, it added.
The apprehended migrants were transferred to a refugee processing center, for either deportation or legal processing.
According to the data from the Turkish Interior Ministry, more than 125,000 undocumented migrants were arrested since the beginning of this year, and 45,000 of them were deported back to their respective countries.
Over 24,000 migrants from 89 different countries are still being hosted in processing centers, waiting for deportation, it revealed.
Türkiye, a country with a population of over 83 million, is hosting more than 4 million refugees, according to Turkish officials. Refugees came to the country either with hopes of establishing a new life or crossing illegally into Europe. ■