After so much fuss and ruckus, does Turkey’s open-door policy for Syrians still apply to the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda-linked groups? The question has popped up once again following reports that 11 Sudanese doctors and medical interns of British, American and Canadian nationalities crossed from Turkey to Syria to treat wounded IS fighters.

Such questions have become intolerable for Turkish government officials lately. Even soft-spoken Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu snapped at questions recently over the three British girls who made it to Syria via Turkey. “They keep criticizing Turkey. We strongly reject that,” he said, insisting that Turkey was doing its best and did not deserve criticism.

According to a background note that the Prime Ministry Public Diplomacy Coordination Office sent to Al-Monitor, Turkey has barred 12,500 people from entering the country, with 18% of them from Europe and North America, and 56% from North Africa and the Middle East. Additionally, Turkey has caught and deported 1,160 people, according to the note, which detailed five cases as an example. It recalled that Turkey blacklisted IS as a terrorist group on Oct. 10, 2013, and was enforcing strict border security measures. “Risk assessment centers” set up at airports and bus terminals in 2014 questioned 1,500 people and refused entry to 540 of them. In 2014, physical border security was beefed up with 333 kilometers (207 miles) of trenches, 60 kilometers (37 miles) of embankments, 160 kilometers (99 miles) of barbed wire and a 13-kilometer (8-mile) wall. A 267-kilometer (165-mile) border stretch was illuminated, while cameras and night-vision equipment were bolstered. Some 71,000 people were caught while attempting illegal crossings.

Rejecting criticism that Turkey failed to enforce adequate measures, the Public Diplomacy Office said, “Every year 38 million tourists enter Turkey. Monitoring every tourist who enters the country legally is neither technically possible nor in line with principles of democracy and freedom.”