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Turkish Migration Department Denies Transferring 600,000 Syrians to Istanbul

Syrian survivors of the earthquake at a crossing point on the Turkish-Syrian border. (EPA)
Syrian survivors of the earthquake at a crossing point on the Turkish-Syrian border. (EPA)
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Turkish Migration Department Denies Transferring 600,000 Syrians to Istanbul

Syrian survivors of the earthquake at a crossing point on the Turkish-Syrian border. (EPA)
Syrian survivors of the earthquake at a crossing point on the Turkish-Syrian border. (EPA)

The Turkish Migration Management denied allegations that 600,000 Syrians were transferred from earthquake-stricken regions in the country’s south, east and southeast to Istanbul.

It also denied that the cost of their transport was covered by official authorities, while Turkish citizens had to pay for public transportation.

It stressed that these claims, which were made during a morning show, were unfounded and irresponsible and aimed at incitement and provocation and creating a negative perception of foreigners in Türkiye.

It rejected claims against state institutions and ngos that have been working to aid the victims of the earthquake, stressing that the Migration Management was working around the clock to help those in need.

Moreover, it said it rejects false allegations that put the Department workers under suspicion simply because they are carrying out their responsibilities.

The media, it urged, should turn to official institutions to obtain verified information.

On Wednesday, head of the Victory Party Umit Ozdag, who is known for his opposition to Syrians and foreigners in Türkiye, alleged during an interview with Turkish Fox channel that the Migration Management had exempted Syrians from paying for their transportation.

He claimed that sources from the Management had informed him that 600,000 Syrians were allowed to move to Istanbul, while Turkish citizens remains in stricken region.

He did not reveal his sources, but identified one as an academic whose students work at the Migration Management.

Moreover, Ozdag said his party was not satisfied with the government’s policy towards the Syrians. He added that if ballot boxes were placed at the Management, 84 percent of its workers would vote in favor of his party.

Ozdag had previously claimed that Syrians were robbing shops and homes in the earthquake-stricken region. His allegations were refuted.

A public prosecutor in Türkiye filed a lawsuit against Ozdag after he posted a picture of a young man carrying a phone in the earthquake areas, claiming he was a Syrian who had stolen phones from destroyed houses.

The young man later appeared on local media and showed his Turkish identity, explaining that he was a volunteer worker. He filed an official complaint against Ozdag for defaming him on social media.

Meanwhile, the Syrian-Turkish Committee previously announced that the Migration Management canceled the travel permits of Syrians holding a temporary card in the states hit by the earthquake for a specified period.

The permits allow them to visit various states except for Istanbul. They must obtain 90-day permits from the Migration Management after arriving in states other than the ones in which they are registered.

Syrians were also required to specify why they visited other states and prove they had relatives there. Migrants traveling between states without obtaining permission will have to pay fines and might face the possibility of having their permits revoked.

More than 500,000 Syrians live in Istanbul, out of about 3.6 million in Türkiye.

Turkish authorities also allowed Syrians in quake-stricken areas to travel to Syria for a month, but many decided not to return to Türkiye.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said more than 42,000 Syrians have returned to their country after the earthquake.

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Biden Signs Bill That Averts Govt Shutdown Ending Days of Washington Upheaval

United States President Joe Biden participates in a holiday visit to patients and families at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, USA, 20 December 2024. (EPA)
United States President Joe Biden participates in a holiday visit to patients and families at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, USA, 20 December 2024. (EPA)
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Biden Signs Bill That Averts Govt Shutdown Ending Days of Washington Upheaval

United States President Joe Biden participates in a holiday visit to patients and families at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, USA, 20 December 2024. (EPA)
United States President Joe Biden participates in a holiday visit to patients and families at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, USA, 20 December 2024. (EPA)

President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Saturday that averts a government shutdown, bringing a final close to days of upheaval after Congress approved a temporary funding plan just past the deadline and refused President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demands in the package.

The deal funds the government at current levels through March 14 and provides $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had insisted lawmakers would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to close. But the outcome at the end of a tumultuous week was uncertain after Trump had insisted the deal include an increase in the government's borrowing limit. If not, he had said, then let the closures “start now.”

Johnson's revised plan was approved 366-34, and it was passed by the Senate by a 85-11 vote after midnight. By then, the White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations.

“There will be no government shutdown,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Johnson, who had spoken to Trump after the House vote, said the compromise was "a good outcome for the country” and that the president-elect “was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.”

The final product was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government — keeping it open. The difficulties raised questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep his job, in the face of angry Republican colleagues, and work alongside Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk, who was calling the legislative plays from afar.

The House is scheduled to elect the next speaker on Jan. 3, 2025, when the new Congress convenes. Republicans will have an exceedingly narrow majority, 220-215, leaving Johnson little margin for error as he tries to win the speaker's gavel.

One House Republican, Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, criticized Republicans for the deficit spending in the bill and said he was now “undecided” about the GOP leadership. Others are signaling unhappiness with Johnson as well.

Yet Trump's last-minute debt limit demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no choice but to work around that pressure. The speaker knew there wouldn’t be enough support within the slim Republican majority alone to pass any funding package because many Republican deficit hawks prefer to cut the federal government and would not allow more debt.

Instead, the Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate in the new year, with big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.

The federal debt stands at roughly $36 trillion, and the spike in inflation after the coronavirus pandemic has pushed up the government’s borrowing costs such that debt service next year will exceed spending on national security. The last time lawmakers raised the debt limit was June 2023. Rather than raise the limit by a dollar amount, lawmakers suspended the debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025.

There is no need to raise that limit right now because the Treasury Department can begin using what it calls “extraordinary measures” to ensure that America does not default on its debts. Some estimate these accounting maneuvers could push the default deadline to the summer of 2025. But that’s what Trump wanted to avoid because an increase would be needed while he was president.

GOP leaders said the debt ceiling would be debated as part of tax and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.

It was essentially the same deal that flopped Thursday night — minus Trump’s debt demand. But it's far smaller than the original deal Johnson struck with Democratic and Republican leaders — a 1,500-page bill that Trump and Musk rejected, forcing him to start over. It was stuffed with a long list of other bills — including much-derided pay raises for lawmakers — but also other measures with broad bipartisan support that now have a tougher path to becoming law.

Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the new Department of Government Efficiency.