By Mehmet Calik
AYDIN, Turkey (AA) – At least 23 undocumented migrants including children, were held in Turkey's Aegean province of Aydin, security sources said on Sunday.
The migrants were rounded up in the Kusadasi district as they were preparing to illegally cross into another country, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to media restrictions.
Ten of the 23 undocumented migrants were children, the sources said. One person was arrested on charges of human smuggling.
Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011 when the Syrian civil war began.
Among the migrants held in 2017 in Turkey, the majority came from Pakistan — around 15,000 — followed by Afghans at around 12,000. Syrians totaled about 10,000. There has been a 60 percent increase in migrant flow since 2016. The number was 31,000 in 2016.
