Arrest of 22,000 Foreign Nationals in the First Half of 2015 at the West Azerbaijan Border

The commander of the border guard in West Azerbaijan has reported that since the beginning of 2015, approximately 22,000 foreign nationals attempting to illegally exit the borders of this province have been arrested. According to the Central News Unit, Shahram Abbasi stated on Tuesday, September 23, that border guards in the border regiment of the province's counties have arrested an average of 150 to 200 foreign nationals per day since the beginning of this year who intended to smuggle out of the West Azerbaijan borders. According to this border guard commander, the total number of these arrested individuals has reached 22,000 since the beginning of this year. Mr. Abbasi also claimed that the issue of smuggling goods through the borders of West Azerbaijan has decreased by 95%. Earlier in August of this year, the border guard commander of West Azerbaijan reported an increase in unauthorized crossings at the borders of this province, noting the arrest of 13,209 individuals, of which 301 were Iranian and 22 were from neighboring countries, while the rest were mainly from Southeast Asian countries who had reached the zero point of the border. Mr. Abbasi stated that this year, two individuals involved in the illegal exit of foreign nationals who were moving in the prohibited border area were killed by gunfire. He announced that if individuals attempt to cross in the prohibited area and do not respond positively to the border guards' stop signal, the guards will undoubtedly take action to prevent their illegal activities. Additionally, on August 28 of this year, it was reported that a human trafficking gang attempting to smuggle 100 illegal migrants out of Iran was identified and arrested by the IRGC forces in Urmia. West Azerbaijan shares approximately 965 kilometers of land and water borders with Turkey, Iraq, and Azerbaijan, with Turkey accounting for the largest share at 566 kilometers. This border area of Iran has been one of the most trafficked regions for illegal exits from Iran into Turkey in recent years. In this context, Hamid Sharafi, the deputy operations commander of Iran's border guards, told Mehr News Agency that smugglers bring individuals wanting to cross the country's borders and head to Western countries through unauthorized routes and exit through the borders of Iraq and Turkey.