Plans to ‘purge’ Istanbul of migrants fuel concerns in Evros

Concerns about a possible new influx of undocumented migrants into the country are increasing on both the eastern Aegean islands and in the region of Evros, northeastern Greece, with the approach of the October 30 deadline that the Turkish government has given Syrian refugees to leave Istanbul (or be forcefully removed).

The first police sweep in Istanbul a few weeks ago, which led to tens of thousands of refugees being transferred from Istanbul to the Turkish hinterland, coincided with a spike in arrivals of undocumented migrants on the Aegean islands, a development that Greek authorities did not regard as coincidental.

Now Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is threatening to "clear out" Istanbul, where an estimated 500,000 Syrian refugees have gathered along with thousands of migrants from Asia and Africa, the prospect of many - especially the migrants -...