Afghanistan Iran plans mass deportation of Afghan refugees

Iran is planning a mass deportation of Afghan refugees without legal residence status in the near future. "The presence of illegal refugees in the country has not only caused social damage, but they are also taking jobs away from the locals," said Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, according to a report by state broadcaster IRIB. He therefore planned to expel illegal refugees immediately. Many Afghans fled to neighboring Iran after the Taliban took power in August 2021. According to estimates by the UN Refugee Agency, there are almost 4.5 million Afghan refugees in Iran, but according to Iranian media reports, there are many more. According to the report, there are almost eight million, more than four million of them without legal status. According to reports, the deportation is to be completed by the end of the Persian year (March 20, 2025).

In recent months, the high number of Afghan refugees in Iran has triggered fierce domestic political debates. For employers, they are cheaper labor without insurance and tax obligations. In the capital Tehran, many of them work in the low-wage sector, for example in small supermarkets or on construction sites. The new government of President Massud Peseschkian also wants to create more jobs for Iranians with the mass expulsion.

Ongoing conflicts, extreme poverty and high unemployment force thousands of Afghans to cross the border to Iran illegally every year. Due to the 945-kilometre-long border in largely uninhabited areas, Iranian border officials find it difficult to prevent illegal border crossings. As a result, many Afghans could return to Iran at any time, even after being deported.

SDA