A disrespectful cartoon, drawn by a US-based Syrian, appeared recently online that accused Turkey of mistreating Syrians. It featured an altered version of Turkish flag, a national symbol that Turks, naturally, value highly. The cartoon was part of a smear campaign that Turkey faced after misinformation was spread suggesting the country is forcibly deporting Syrians who, in fear for their lives, sought refuge there. The truth is that authorities in Turkey recently started to send unregistered Syrians to refugee camps set up in parts of Syria that have been liberated by Turkish forces. According to Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, at least 6,000 unregistered migrants have been arrested in Istanbul since July 12, including 1,000 Syrians. About 1 million Syrians live in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, but only 547,479 are officially registered there. The rest have been warned that they must return to the parts of Turkey in which they are registered. According to Metin Corabatir, president of the Ankara-based Research Center on Asylum and Migration, the reports of forced deportations were based on misinformation and misunderstandings. Corabatir — with whom I worked at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, when he was the spokesman for the organization — is the best person to explain what has really been going on in Turkey recently. He told a media outlet that the Turkish government has helped 360,000 refugees return to safe areas in Syria that are under Turkish military control. Much of the smear campaign against Turkey has been based on allegations that Syrians were being sent to the war zones. None of the refugees were sent unwillingly to active war zones, Corabatir said, as doing so would infringe on international human rights accords. Economic problems in the countries that host Syrian refugees, including Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, combined with shortfalls in donor funding have left those countries in a desperate situation, forcing them to try to implement policies that can both calm their own citizens and ensure the safety of Syrians. The open-door policy implemented by Turkey is laudable on ethical and humanitarian grounds. However, the poor planning of the policy has left the country to carry most of the burden of caring for the Syrians alone. Turkey is now unfairly being criticized for its recent decision to draw the line at hosting unregistered Syrians who failed to follow the proper procedures when entering the country. The local media has extensively covered complaints by Syrians, while foreign news outlets have reported on “forcible deportations.” According to an opinion poll by Istanbul’s Kadir Has University, 68 percent of Turks are unhappy with the presence of Syrian refugees. Sinem Cengiz One can criticize Ankara’s policy on Syria or point out the shortfalls of its refugee-integration policy; however no one can suggest that Turkey is a country that is opposed to or ignores refugees. Throughout its history, Turkey has offered refugees a home and continues to do so. Anti-immigrant sentiment cannot take root in Turkey, not only because it has been a melting pot for waves of immigrants over the centuries, but because from the very beginning, when other countries closed their doors and turned a blind eye to the needs of refugees, it opened its doors wide. The long-term sustainable integration policy that Turkey is planning to implement is a welcome step; but long overdue given the protracted nature of the Syrian crisis. As a result, Turkish society has become highly polarized over the issue of Syrian refugees, and ways must be found to ease the tensions between locals and Syrians. Both sides have their own arguments to make, which means it is difficult to figure out which side is right. However, one thing is clear: These tensions not only affect one party, but both. According to an opinion poll by Istanbul’s Kadir Has University, 68 percent of Turks are unhappy with the presence of Syrian refugees. Along with the economic issues, the stance of the public eventually caused alarm bells to ring in Ankara, leading to increased urgency to develop and implement macro-planning to cope with the refugee issue. Consequently, the recent policy of the Turkish authorities is a way to keep things on track, particularly in terms of harmonization and domestic peace. The Interior Ministry has said that deportation is out of question for Syrians who are under the temporary protection of Turkey or have residence permits, or for any foreigners granted international protection status. Turkey has been the main route for refugees trying to cross to Europe since 2011, when the civil war in Syria began, and it has to fulfill the responsibilities of an agreement it has signed with EU. Meanwhile, Turkey plans to create a “peace corridor” in northern Syria, regardless of whether or not Ankara and Washington can agree on the establishment of a so-called “safe zone” there. Ankara has signaled that there could be a new offensive in Syria, and recently has been sending reinforcements to the border area. Since 2016, Turkey has launched two cross-border offensives, against Daesh and Syrian Kurdish militants, on the grounds that the region posed threats to national security. The Syrian war not only posed disquieting challenges to Turkey in terms of refugees but also security, forcing Ankara to take preventative measures.