Around 450,000 Afghan Migrants Return To Taliban Rule As Iran Expel Migrants

Nearly 450,000 Afghan migrants have returned to Taliban rule in Afghanistan because the Islamic Republic of Iran has started the crackdown to expel illegal migrants.

Javad Khani, the official in charge of managing illegal migrants at the National Organization for Migration in Iran, has confirmed that the repatriation of irregular migrants is in process. He has also emphasized that there are four million illegal migrants in Iran and only one million illegal migrants have received identity cards till date.

Reportedly, Iran wanted to expel illegal migrants who entered the country without registration. In the last three months, around 450,000 refugees, mostly from Afghanistan, left Iran because they did not have requisite legal documents.

This comes after Pakistan deported illegal Afghan migrants from the country. Angelina Jolie slammed Pakistan over its forced expulsion of Afghan refugees and migrants. The authorities in Pakistan ordered “illegal foreigners” to return to their countries of origin by November 1.

What happened to Afghan migrants in Iran?

Tehran, Sistan and Baluchestan, Razavi Khorasan, Qom, Kerman, Yazd, Fars, and Alborz provinces in Iran have the highest number of Afghan migrants or refugees. These provinces account for 92% of the migrant population in the country. 

In Iran, migrants from Afghanistan are estimated to be more than 4 million. This includes both documented and undocumented refugees. 

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, tens of thousands of more Afghan migrants have flocked to Iran. They are living in Iran without legal documents.

Afghan migrants return to Taliban rule

Afghan migrants who have been deported from Iran had “illegally entered” the country. Their repatriation was carried out in eight provinces in Iran based on a “comprehensive plan.”

Iran is also considering the blocking of border crossings as one of the measures to expel illegal migrants and deal with the entry of illegal migrants.

Afghan migrants have returned to Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The Afghan Ministry of Refugees will house the returning migrants. 

Only 1 million smart identification cards have so far been issued to documented migrants across Iran.