Tehran, Iran – The wave of Afghan refugees and migrants being despatched again from Iran has not stopped, with greater than 410,000 being pushed out for the reason that finish of the 12-day war with Israel on June 24.
Greater than 1.5 million Afghan refugees and migrants have been despatched again in 2025, in response to the United Nations’ Worldwide Group for Migration (IOM), whereas the Crimson Cross says multiple million individuals extra may very well be despatched again by the tip of the yr.
Iran has been internet hosting Afghans for many years. Whereas it has periodically expelled irregular arrivals, it has now taken its efforts to unprecedented ranges after the struggle with Israel that killed greater than 1,000 individuals in Iran, many of them civilians.
Iran has additionally been constructing a wall alongside its large jap borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan to stem the move of irregular migration, and smuggled medicine and gasoline.
The parliament can also be planning for a nationwide migration organisation that might take over its efforts to crack down on irregular migration.
‘I’m afraid’
“I really feel like we’re being singled out as a result of we’re straightforward targets and don’t have many choices,” mentioned Ahmad*, a 27-year-old undocumented Afghan migrant who got here to Iran 4 years in the past.
Like others, he needed to work building and handbook labour jobs earlier than managing to get employed because the custodian of an previous residential constructing within the western a part of the capital, Tehran.
On the present price of Iran’s heavily devalued currency, he will get paid the equal of about $80 a month, which is wired to the financial institution card of an Iranian citizen as a result of he can not have an account in his title.
He has a small spot the place he can sleep within the constructing and tries to ship cash to his household in Afghanistan at any time when attainable.
“I don’t actually go away the constructing that a lot as a result of I’m afraid I’ll be despatched again. I don’t understand how for much longer I can reside like this,” he advised Al Jazeera.
Vahid Golikani, who heads the overseas nationals’ division of the governor’s workplace in Tehran, advised state media final week that undocumented migrants should not be employed to guard native labour.
Each day returns, which embody expulsions and voluntary returns, climbed steeply after the beginning of the struggle, with common every day returns exceeding 29,600 within the week beginning July 10, mentioned Mai Sato, UN particular rapporteur on the scenario of human rights in Iran.
She was amongst 4 particular rapporteurs who decried the mass returns on Thursday, including their voice to rights organisations comparable to Amnesty Worldwide.
“Afghanistan stays unsafe underneath Taliban rule. These mass returns violate worldwide legislation and put susceptible individuals, particularly girls, youngsters, and minorities, at extreme threat of persecution and violence,” Sato mentioned.
Alleged safety dangers
Authorities and state media have mentioned undocumented immigrants could pose a safety threat, alleging that a few of them have been paid by Israel to hold out duties inside Iran.
Whereas state tv has aired confessions from a handful of unidentified imprisoned Afghans, however their numbers don’t appear to match the dimensions of the expulsions.
The televised confessions featured males with coated eyes and blurred-out faces saying they’d despatched images and data on-line to nameless handlers linked with Mossad.
A whole bunch of Iranians have additionally been arrested on suspicion of working for Israel, and a number of other Iranians have been executed over the previous weeks as the federal government works to increase legal punishments for spying.
Mohammad Mannan Raeesi, a member of parliament from the ultraconservative metropolis of Qom, mentioned throughout a state tv interview final week, “We don’t have a single migrant from Afghanistan among the many Israeli spies.”
He identified that some Afghans have fought and died for Iran, and that makes an attempt to expel irregular arrivals ought to keep away from xenophobia.
Financial pressures
Earlier than the storm wave of pressured returns, Iranian authorities reported the official variety of Afghan refugees and migrants at a whopping 6.1 million, with many speculating the true quantity was a lot increased.
Solely about 780,000 have been given official refugee standing by the federal government.
Supporting tens of millions of refugees and migrants, common and irregular, takes a toll on a authorities that spends billions yearly on hidden subsidies on necessities like gasoline, electrical energy and bread for everybody within the nation.
Since 2021, there have been complaints amongst some Iranians concerning the financial affect of internet hosting tens of millions who poured into Iran unchecked within the aftermath of the Taliban’s chaotic takeover of Afghanistan.
Amid growing hostility in direction of the Afghan arrivals over the previous years, native newspapers and social media have more and more highlighted stories of crimes like theft and rape allegedly dedicated by Afghan migrants. Nevertheless, no official statistics on such crimes have been launched.
That has not stopped some Iranians, together with a lot of nameless accounts on-line, from cheering on the mass returns, with well-liked hashtags in Farsi on X and different social media portraying the returns as a “nationwide demand”.
Once more, there aren’t any dependable statistics or surveys that present what portion of the Iranian inhabitants backs the transfer, or underneath what situations.
Some tearful migrants advised Afghan media after being returned from Iran that safety forces beat or humiliated them whereas placing them on buses to the border.
Others mentioned they have been abruptly deported with solely the garments on their again, and have been unable to get their final paycheques, financial savings, or downpayments made for his or her rented properties.
A few of these with authorized documentation haven’t been spared, as stories emerged in latest weeks of Afghan refugees and migrants being deported after having their paperwork shredded by police.
Authorities spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani and Inside Minister Eskandar Momeni have individually mentioned the federal government is barely searching for undocumented migrants.
“In circumstances the place authorized residents have been deported, these cases have been investigated,” Momeni mentioned final week, including that over 70 % of these returned got here ahead voluntarily after the federal government set a deadline to depart for early July.
‘I sense a variety of anger among the many individuals’
For these Afghans who stay in Iran, a number of different restrictions make life tough.
They’re barred from coming into dozens of Iranian cities. Their work permits will not be renewed yearly, or the renewal charges may very well be hiked immediately. They’re unable to purchase property, vehicles and even SIM playing cards for his or her cell phones.
They’re seldom given citizenship and face difficulties in getting their youngsters into Iranian colleges.
Zahra Aazim, a 22-year-old instructor and video editor of Afghan origin primarily based in Tehran, mentioned she didn’t really really feel the extent of the restrictions related to residing in Iran for Afghans till just a few years in the past.
Her household migrated to Iran about 45 years in the past, shortly after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution that introduced the incumbent theocratic institution to energy.
“What actually bugs me is the truth that I used to be born in Iran, and my household has been residing right here for over 4 many years, however I’m nonetheless unable to get one thing as primary as a driver’s licence.
“That’s to not point out elementary paperwork like a nationwide ID card or an Iran-issued start certificates,” she advised Al Jazeera.
By legislation, these paperwork are reserved for Iranian nationals. Afghan-origin individuals can apply if their mom is Iranian or if they’re a lady married to an Iranian man.
Aazim mentioned Iran’s guidelines have solely gotten stricter over time. However issues took a pointy flip after the struggle, and she or he has obtained tons of of threatening or insulting messages on-line since.
“I’ve been listening to from different Afghan-origin associates in Iran … that that is not a spot the place we will reside,” she mentioned.
“A pal known as me with the identical message after the struggle. I assumed she meant she’s serious about shifting to a different nation or going again to Afghanistan. I by no means thought her final resort can be [taking her own life].”
Aazim additionally mentioned her 23-year-old brother was taken by police from a Tehran cafe – and later launched – on suspicion of espionage.
The incident, together with movies of violence against Afghans which can be circulating on social media, has made her really feel unsafe.
“I sense a variety of anger among the many Iranian individuals, even in a few of my Iranian associates. When you’ll be able to’t lash out towards these in energy above, you begin to search for individuals at decrease ranges guilty,” she mentioned.
“I’m not saying don’t take any motion when you have safety considerations about Afghan migrants … I simply want they might deal with us respectfully.
“Respect has nothing to do with nationality, ethnicity or geography.”
*Title has been modified for the person’s safety.