Picture this: The Turkish flag on a bright red background features a crescent and a star. Now replace the star with the image of a family holding hands and fleeing — and add threatening sharp teeth on the crescent facing the family. That was the image created by a Syrian living in the United States and shared on social media with the caption, “Syrian refugees in Turkey.” This image became a source of intense debate as news from Istanbul about mass deportations of Syrians back to war zones spread. Is Turkey becoming more dangerous for Syrians?

In early July, Turkish police conducted raids all around Istanbul focusing on businesses in Fatih, Esenyurt, Bagcilar, Kucukcekmece and Sultangazi — districts with a significant Syrian presence.

“The police is checking work permits and asking us questions about how long we have employed Syrians,” said a businessman who owns a textile business in Istanbul. He and others told Al-Monitor that some of their workers have been taken away since the beginning of July because they did not have ID cards. In mid-July, videos of young Syrian men handcuffed with plastic straps being bused out of the city were posted on English-language social media accounts. Although each story is unique, in most cases the men are Syrian and ages 18 to 45, and most do not have proper paperwork to reside in Turkey or more specifically in Istanbul. By talking to frightened Syrian families and their employees in Istanbul, Al-Monitor concluded that most of these men were first taken to a center to be processed. Some of them signed “voluntary return forms” and were deported to Syria from the Oncupinar border crossing.

Indeed, the Turkish government has been quietly enforcing deportations for the last couple of years while convincing most of these young men to sign paperwork that would show they are returning at their own free will. The paperwork is essential because it is against the Geneva Convention to return refugees back to war zones. However, if one refuses to sign such a document they can still be deported for other reasons, such as “working without a permit.” Many Syrians lack Turkish-language skills as well.