Iran’s police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, announced plans to deport around 2 million undocumented foreigners from the country over the next six months, Deutsche Welle
In an interview with the Young Journalists Club on Tuesday, he stated that security forces and the Interior Ministry are developing long-term measures to remove a large number of illegal migrants.
When Iranian officials refer to “illegal foreigners,” they primarily mean Afghan migrants. Iran shares a 900-kilometer border with Afghanistan, much of which runs through remote mountain regions. For over four decades, Afghans have fled to Iran to escape conflict, poverty, and the Taliban regime.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni acknowledged the cultural ties between Iran and Afghanistan but stressed that Iran cannot accommodate so many migrants. “Our focus is on dealing with irregular migrants in an orderly and quiet manner,” he was quoted as saying.
Earlier this year, the Interior Ministry reported that 1.3 million irregular migrants had been deported to Afghanistan in the past year.
The UNHCR estimates that about 4.5 million Afghans currently reside in Iran, but local reports suggest the number could be as high as 6 to 8 million. Many avoid registration due to fear of deportation, and some aim to use Iran as a transit point to Europe.
Afghans often find work in agriculture and construction, sectors where Iranians are less willing to work.
However, tensions have risen as many Iranians believe Afghan migrants are saturating the laboir market and overburdening public services. Media reports frequently link refugees to crimes or shortages of essential goods, fueling public hostility. Online petitions and hate posts demanding Afghan deportations are common.
Those defending Afghan migrants, like journalist and women’s rights activist Jila Baniyaghoob, often face backlash.
Baniyaghoob, an expert on Afghanistan, has received death threats for her efforts to raise awareness about migrants’ rights, the Deutsche Welle report said.
She is part of a group of 540 journalists, lawyers, and activists who signed a petition advocating solidarity with Afghan migrants.
