The European Union (EU) enforces external border policies through formal agreements with third countries and joint measures to deter and manage migration outside the EU territory. Following the 2016 EU–Türkiye deal, Türkiye’s borders became an EU externalised border zone. The eastern frontier of Türkiye, known as the Kurdish borderlands, is pivotal for implementing these policies. In 2017, this strategy materialised in the construction of a border wall. This article examines the Hakkâri (Colemêrg) province, bordering Iran and Iraq, to show how broad policies affect local communities and the regional environment. Findings show the border wall fails to stop migration; rather, increased surveillance causes economic hardship and pushes residents to migrate. This research analyses changes on both sides of the Türkiye–Iran border through interviews and contributes to border policy scholarship by examining their impacts on daily life and the ecology.
Kırbıyık et al. (Wed,) studied this question.