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Passersby walk in front of a Syrian shop in Istanbul's Kucukcekmece district, July 5, 2019 REUTERS / Kemal Aslan

Since 12 July, Turkish police have arrested more than 6,000 migrants, most of them Syrians, living in Istanbul " illegally ".

With our correspondent in Istanbul , Anne Andlauer

This is the first time that Turkey has taken such measures, since it hosts for more than three and a half million Syrians, including nearly 550,000 in Istanbul.

Many observers make the connection with the defeat of the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during the municipal elections in Istanbul in June. The reception of Syrians had emerged as a major concern for voters.

The firmness measures of the government

In recent days, Istanbul Syrians who have not registered have avoided leaving their homes. The recent lashings, unpublished since the arrival of the first refugees eight years ago, come against the background of rising anti-Syrian sentiment. They also come one month after the defeat of the ruling party in Istanbul's municipal election.

According to researcher Omar Kadkoy, who specializes in these issues, there is a direct link: " The government, with these firm measures and its strict enforcement of the rules against Syrians who are not registered, sends a message to say "Even though we lost the recent municipal elections, we are still in control ."

A fragile status for the Syrians of Turkey

For the researcher, the arrests also illustrate the fragility of Syrian status in Turkey. Legally, they are not " refugees " but under " temporary protection ".

" The temporary protection status does not lead anyone anywhere ... Neither the Syrians, nor the government, nor the Turks. We suffer from a lack of integration policies. Recent arrests do not mean that suddenly the government's ability to enforce the rules has increased. It's just that so far he did not want to enforce them, "says Omar Kadkoy.

This week, Istanbul prefecture issued an ultimatum to Syrians living in the megacity while registered in another province: they have until August 20 to leave Istanbul.

The authorities, for their part, deny having sent Syrians back to their country, while several NGOs claim to have documented dozens of cases.