Sunday’s presidential election runoff in Turkey may have brought an end to what Syrian refugees and other migrants have described as a period of historic animosity towards them. Yet as the political temperature cools following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s re-election, many are likely to retain their anxieties about the future. Turkey is home to about 3.9 million refugees and asylum seekers, almost all of them from Syria—hosting more forced migrants than any other country. Many have faced an ambivalent reception, with an initially relatively generous open-door policy complicated by growing social stigma, tenuous legal status, and a pronounced economic downturn. In the dozen years since the Syrian civil war began, migrants have often become scapegoats for domestic economic challenges, rhetorical targets for nationalist politicians, and leverage for international negotiations. According to many Syrians, the rhetoric in recent weeks has been worse than ever. Opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu promised to deport every single refugee if elected president, putting on the defensive Erdoğan—whose government has reportedly coerced and forced migrants to return and turned northern Syria into a “refugee dumping ground,” according to Human Rights Watch. Sinan Oğan, an ultranationalist who focused heavily on deporting refugees and bolstering security, surprised watchers by receiving about 5 percent of the initial vote on May 14, forcing Sunday’s runoff (he subsequently endorsed Erdoğan). It remains to be seen whether the recent animosity fanned by the campaign rhetoric will temper now that polls have closed. Over the last 12 years, millions of Syrians have built their lives in Turkey and have been wary of the government’s creep towards warmer relations with the Assad regime in Syria. Those who return may face harsh treatment, potentially including torture and death. Many Syrians in Turkey hold temporary legal status and are excluded from the formal economy. More than half in 2021 said they would be willing to go to a new country. Prospects of onward movement seem dim, but a permanent resolution for Syrians in Turkey still appears far off. Best regards, Julian Hattem
Editor, Migration Information Source
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