Thousands of Syrians are making their way back over the border. Some are going home to celebrate Eid, and plan to return to Turkey afterwards. However, others plan to remain at home for good, as CGTN’s Natalie Carney reports.

For close to two weeks, tens of thousands of people have been lining up anxiously to return to liberated areas in Syria. Most have waited hours, with tensions rising as patience ran out, leading to families and friends being separated by the mad rush.

There are 170,000 Syrian babies born in Turkey. Some have never seen their homeland. Despite the uncertainties in Syria, many chose to stay there. Customs officials said of the approximately 111,000 Syrians who have crossed as of Tuesday, more than ten percent have left their temporary residency cards behind, indicating they do not intend to return.

Syrians with valid travel documents can return across the border in the village of Oncupinar until mid-July, while the Cilvegozu crossing will remain open until the end of September. According to officials, anyone returning after that will be treated as a new arrival and subject to the usual immigration process. Turkey has spent more than 12 billion US dollars hosting millions of registered refugees, and is working with Russia and Iran to create a safe zone in northern Syria where refugees can also return to.