Syrians in Turkey are afraid they may be deported after President Tayyip Erdogan abruptly said that he would want to meet with his estranged counterpart Bashar al-Assad. This comes just one week after a wave of anti-migrant violence left them feeling uneasy.
In 2011, when Syria descended into civil war and Turkish forces began arming anti-Assad militants in the north, Ankara broke off relations with Damascus. Erdogan, though, has emphasized the necessity of reestablishing Turkey's neighbouring relations over the past two weeks.
He was cited as stating on Sunday that he would extend an invitation to Assad "anytime" to work on mending the rift caused by the war that involved the United States, Russia, Turkey, and a number of armed organizations and restored relations with Syria.
According to Samir Alabdullah, of the nonprofit Harmoon Centre for Contemporary Studies in Istanbul, there are concerns that Erdogan may strike a deal with Assad and expel the Syrians back to areas of the nation controlled by Damascus.
More refugees are hosted in Turkey than in any other country.
Turkey's concerns over the volume of Syrian refugees and their potential for return have led Erdogan to pledge negotiations and the ultimate "honourable" voluntary return of the majority of them.
Ahmad, a 19-year-old Syrian student studying in Istanbul's Eyupsultan neighborhood, stated that because of the anti-immigrant turmoil, his family is thinking of selling their homes in Turkey.
Residents of Istanbul's crowded Sultanbeyli neighborhood, which is home to many Syrian refugees, reported that attackers smashed the windows of a barbershop owned by Syrians and shouted anti-immigrant slogans.
Erdogan said that maintaining public order is a national priority.
Syria has stated that Turkey must agree to remove thousands of troops from rebel-held areas before any normalization of relations can take place. Ankara has deemed this need intolerable, citing security concerns regarding terrorist Syrian Kurds.
An advocacy group based in the UK, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, declared on Friday that Syria is not safe for millions of refugees from Turkey to return.
Erdogan, who had softened his stance on immigration before the year's presidential elections, stated last week that 670,000 people had returned to northern Syrian villages, and a further one million were expected to do the same.