Last week, the Turkish government announced that it was no longer able to support a deal made with the European Union in 2016 to prevent migrants from crossing into Europe. Shortly afterward, thousands of men, women, and children set off for the border with Greece, attempting to leave Turkey by land or by sea, only to meet barbed-wire fences and security forces. Turkey has been hosting several million refugees from Syria, as well as migrants and refugees from Africa and other parts of the Middle East. Turkish officials said they were unable to cope with a recent increase in refugees, following escalations in the fighting in Syria, while others have accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of “weaponizing” the migrants, pressuring the EU to support Turkey’s operations in Syria.
Thousands of Migrants Attempt to Cross Into Europe From Turkey
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Migrants, hoping to enter Europe through Greece, board a small inflatable boat on the Turkish coast in Çanakkale province, across part of the Aegean Sea from the Greek island of Lesbos, on February 28, 2020. #
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A man holds his three sons as migrants from Afghanistan arrive on a dinghy on a beach near the village of Skala Sikamias after crossing from Turkey to the island of Lesbos, Greece, on March 2, 2020. #
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A boat transporting 27 refugees and migrants originating from Gambia and the Republic of the Congo lands in Lesbos on February 29, 2020, after the passengers were rescued by a warship during their sea crossing between Turkey and Greece. #
Aris Messinis / AFP / Getty -
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A migrant crosses the border under barbed wire following Greek border guards' intervention with tear-gas canisters and stun grenades in Edirne, Turkey, on March 1, 2020. #
Arif Hudaverdi Yaman / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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A drone photo taken from Edirne, Turkey, shows smoke rising from tear-gas canisters launched by Greek security forces at the border between Turkey and Greece on March 1, 2020. #
Hakan Mehmet Sahin / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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Refugees and migrants are rescued from an island in the middle of the Evros river on March 1, 2020, after becoming stuck for two days when they tried to cross from Turkey to Greece. #
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A woman reacts as a boat transporting refugees and migrants originating from Gambia and the Republic of the Congo lands on Lesbos on February 29, 2020, after the passengers were rescued while crossing between Turkey and Greece. #
Aris Messinis / AFP / Getty -
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