In a concerted effort to combat illegal migration, officials from the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs carried out a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Tbilisi and Batumi, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports.

According to the department, the operation resulted in the detention of 31 foreign nationals, including citizens of Türkiye, Egypt, Azerbaijan, and Jordan.

“Based on intelligence gathered, during the operation, Department personnel conducted checks at specific locations to identify foreign nationals residing in Georgia without legal grounds,” a spokesperson stated.

It is particularly noteworthy that 13 of those detained in Batumi were wanted under Interpol Red Notices and by Turkish law enforcement for a range of serious crimes, including murder, the sexual assault of a minor, and drug trafficking.

The Migration Department’s officers escorted these individuals to the Sarpi border checkpoint, where they were handed over to Turkish authorities for further legal proceedings.

Some of the detainees have already been transferred to the Migration Department’s temporary accommodation centre, where procedures for their expulsion from the country are being processed.

The Migration Department reaffirmed its commitment to conducting regular enforcement operations to ensure the effective implementation of Georgia’s Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons, the MIA stated.