Issues of migration policy have become particularly acute today against the backdrop of global trends. In our country, this topic is also becoming increasingly relevant – periodic reports of detentions of migration police officers in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Zhambyl Region, and other parts of the country show that these are no longer isolated incidents but evidence of a deeper problem.

It is already clear to everyone that a circle of slick "power brokers" operates around migration offices, turning the issuance of registration documents, visas for temporary and permanent residency (which require mandatory testing in the state language and history) into a lucrative criminal business. It is openly acknowledged that this system is sustained by organised groups that include law enforcement officers themselves.

CORRUPTION SCHEMES AND OLD PRACTICES

Let us cite facts from the crime chronicles. For instance, operatives from the Anti-Corruption Service of the National Security Committee, together with officers from the Internal Security Department of the Southern Capital's Police Department, caught two officers from the Almaty Police Department red-handed. They have been charged under two articles – accepting bribes and organising illegal migration. Evidence seized included dozens of copies of foreign passports and cash in various currencies.

In Shymkent, a colonel who was temporarily acting as head of the Migration Service Directorate of the City Police Department was detained for facilitating document processing for citizens of the People's Republic of China. Moreover, this is not an isolated case of corruption in Shymkent. Previously, two migration service heads had already been brought to criminal liability: the former head of the directorate and his former deputy.

Operatives detained a lieutenant colonel in Zhambyl Region while he was receiving a bribe of 1.5 million tenge. During a personal search, the amount illegally obtained for "services" rendered to foreign workers was seized from him. Thirty-three Chinese citizens were working tirelessly on the construction of the EuroChem chemical complex, with 21 of them holding no work visas.

Another recent media report: "The Financial Monitoring Agency reported the liquidation of an illegal gold mine in the Markakol District of the East Kazakhstan Region, not far from the village of Akbulak. According to the AFM, a group without the necessary licences and permits was extracting and processing gold‑bearing ore on a 30‑hectare site. Heavy machinery and industrial complexes were used for the work, and more than 30 workers were brought in for the extraction, including citizens of China."

Considerable public outcry was also recently caused by the news that, in connection with a case on organising illegal migration, a police colonel who serves as deputy head of the Migration Service Directorate of the Astana Police Department had been detained. It was specified that this was not an isolated incident but part of the activities of an organised criminal group, which, according to the investigation, includes representatives from various agencies. The "courageous lady" in uniform was placed under house arrest.

Last week, the media reported: "The National Security Committee of Kazakhstan detained 14 citizens of the Republic of Korea. The detainees are being investigated by South Korean law enforcement authorities in a criminal case. They are suspected of fraudulent activities as part of an organised criminal group using telecommunications systems. According to law enforcement, group members used technical devices to carry out illegal activities related to fraud. During searches at their places of residence, computer equipment, mobile phones, and laptops were discovered. According to preliminary data, the found devices were used in the commission of unlawful acts. The detainees have been taken to a temporary detention facility for procedural actions and subsequent deportation."

Not only law enforcement officers are involved in illegal migration schemes, but also intermediaries who, for a certain fee, produce forged documents. There have been multiple reports that, thanks to fictitious registration of foreigners, the owners of "rubber" apartments have registered hundreds of people in them.

As a result, fertile ground has been created for the provision of unofficial and essentially criminal services, which has a negative impact on many aspects of the state's life.

A BLOW TO THE ECONOMY

Such well-established grey schemes undermine public trust in state institutions: newcomers become convinced that their legal status in the country depends not on the law, but on the size of the bribe they pay.

Forged documents for registration or the issuance of temporary or permanent residency visas lead to serious reputational damage for the country and pose a threat to state security, where real control and accounting of who is present and where within its territory have been weakened. Wide‑open border "gates" create risks to public safety, hindering the fight against individuals with criminal backgrounds – they can simply disappear into our vast expanses.

The illegal employment of migrants who have been funneled through corrupt schemes takes a toll on the economy as a whole and on tax revenues, while creating unfair competition for legitimate businesses and workers.

Here is another report from the media: "In June 2026, 15 foreign nationals were detained while attempting to illegally cross the state border of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Aktobe, Almaty, Zhambyl, West Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, and Turkistan regions, the Border Service of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan reports. In total, since the beginning of the year, according to its data, 100 violators have been detained and 25 illegal migration channels have been eliminated. On these facts, 178 criminal cases have been initiated under Article 392 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan".

BETRAYAL OF THE HOMELAND'S INTERESTS

Entrenched phenomena point to an institutional degradation of the governance mechanism in the sphere of migration, where corruption is no longer an exception. For now, a systemic and radical solution to the problem is being replaced by piecemeal detentions of individual officials. Instead of official procedures, the rules of the game are dictated by corrupt incentives tied to revenues from illegal migration channels. These have become stronger than ethics and the sense of responsibility of civil servants.

This amounts to treason against the homeland: a system designed to protect borders becomes their most vulnerable link. Instead of combating illegal migration, our agencies responsible for this area are profiting from it.

Investigations by the National Security Committee into migration service employees have intensified discussions on the need for reform and restructuring in order to establish more transparent procedures through the digitalisation of services, eliminating the human factor in the form of direct personal contact between applicants and officials. The problem cannot be solved merely by prosecuting those who use their official position to organise criminal schemes. What is needed is an analysis of bottlenecks and corruption risks, as well as a decisive purge of officers prone to bribery.

The issues of independent oversight over decisions, with external supervision and genuine accountability for patronage, have become acutely pressing. After all, by participating in these schemes, law enforcement officers do not simply turn a blind eye to violations — they create conditions for their widespread proliferation.

Reports of deporting foreigners for violating migration legislation, fines on employers who illegally use foreign labour — these are merely the tip of the iceberg. In reality, people are coming to us who have suddenly fallen in love with our country but actually need a temporary refuge. The accessibility and loss of control over migration flows create imbalance, legal uncertainty, and tension.

As long as the officials responsible for this continue to "sort things out" for bribes rather than suppress violations, the problem of uncontrolled and illegal migration will only worsen, and its consequences for Kazakh society will become increasingly destructive. Migration services must be strict, honest, and uncorrupted. This is a code of honour.

Why is it not so easy to enter other countries? One must pass through the grindstone of bureaucracy and all kinds of checks — and this strictness of procedures is dictated by the fact that no one wants to turn their country into a thoroughfare. Otherwise, as the example of Spain has shown, thousands of illegal migrants can eagerly and en masse penetrate the territory of a foreign country. The world has witnessed how the utter unpreparedness, lack of control, and irresponsibility of migration services led to a global migration crisis and chaos.

By entrusting the keys to their borders to migration services, customs officers, and border guards, states draw that very red line which foreigners may only cross with official permission, and those who come as guests must behave appropriately, observing the order, terms, and rules of stay, while demonstrating a readiness to respect the indigenous inhabitants, their language, and traditions.

All these events, as well as the facts of military intervention and territorial claims against neighbouring states, cannot but cause alarm and concern. This acute topic today occupies one of the central places in social networks and public debate. A well-known Kazakh public figure, Askhat Zeinollayevich Asylbekov, also shared his views on the current issue, expressing very honestly and frankly what concerns many of our compatriots: "Most of those arriving simply want to live peacefully, work, and raise children. Many are fleeing military service and mobilisation. And that is precisely why it is important to prevent mutual distrust from arising between our peoples. But at the same time, one cannot ignore the destructive behaviour of some relocants who have already begun to assert their rights.

It seems to me there is a simple and honest thought here. Russia is a vast, rich, and talented country. If someone is dissatisfied with certain decisions of the authorities, if there is a desire to live better, the most correct path would be to strive for change at home. To develop one's own cities, participate in public life, propose solutions, and help build a Russia that one would not want to leave. Not to remain silent and not to flee, but to convey one's views to the country's leadership. True patriotism lies in serving one's Homeland.

Newcomers must understand that Kazakhstan is not a reserve territory or a place for mass resettlement. It is an independent state that has the right to independently determine its demographic, migration, and domestic policy, proceeding primarily from the interests of its citizens. And we do not need provocations on any topic, starting with the language issue. If you are talented, learn the language. After all, you learn English in England or the USA, German, Spanish, French, or Italian when you move there to live.

Kazakhstan is gradually restoring its national identity, culture, and language. Despite having gained independence, we remain under the influence of various religious, cultural, and other external pressures. This affects the situation in the country and hinders the full restoration of the national spirit.

We must remain an open, hospitable country, respecting every person regardless of their nationality or citizenship. But at the same time, the state is obliged to carefully monitor migration processes, protect national interests, public harmony, and security. I believe it is necessary to reinstate specialised platoons and companies of migration police that work with incoming foreigners. Unfortunately, they were abolished in 2019.

Compare how their colleagues work in Russia. There, they have superpowers and conduct raids against "guest workers." Let me digress for five seconds. Why are those who come to work in Russia called guest workers, while in Kazakhstan they are called relocants or expats? At the same time, almost every citizen of Kazakhstan understands that the fewer mutual fears, aggressive rhetoric, and political speculations there are, the stronger relations between Kazakhstan and Russia will be.

Everyone who chooses Kazakhstan as a place of long-term residence must understand that they are coming not to a faceless space, but to an independent state with its own history, culture, worldview, and its own national interests."

GUARDIANS OF THE HOMELAND

And to sum up this very sensitive topic for all of us, I will say this: guarding the border, standing firm on this crucial frontier – means standing for the homeland. It may sound lofty, but that is the truth.

To sell it out for personal gain means to betray the sacred trust of our ancestors, which is tantamount to treason and the loss of honour.

The Kazakh land has always been a prized possession.

Our ancestors withstood numerous raids and invasions, armed only with swords, bows, and arrows. They managed to preserve the steppe expanses for us, having survived both famines and imperial policies. For the inviolability of their native land's borders, they were ready to stand to the very end, even at the cost of their own lives, preserving our national code, language, and traditions, and forging a great nation.

This genetic memory and the lessons of history must be kept in the heart of every one of us – including those who have been entrusted with the "keys" to the border.

Akmaral ABDULOVA