Iranian Officials: Half a Million Afghan Migrants Returned to Afghanistan in Past Six Months

Photo: © UNICEF/South-Asia

Iranian authorities have announced that more than 500,000 undocumented Afghan migrants have been returned to Afghanistan since the beginning of the current year.

Nader Yarahmadi, head of Iran’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs, stated on Tuesday (1 July) that these individuals were identified across various regions of Iran and deported through the Milak and Dogharoun border crossings.

He described the deportation process as one of the “public demands” and urged Iranian citizens to cooperate with relevant authorities in identifying undocumented migrants. Yarahmadi emphasized that this process is ongoing.

This comes amid a sharp rise in the forced deportation of Afghan migrants from both Iran and Pakistan in recent months. Domestic and international aid organizations have described the situation of returnees as “catastrophic.” According to these organizations, deported migrants often arrive at the border lacking access to basic necessities such as drinking water, medical services, shelter, and adequate food.

Reports also indicate that many families are separated during the deportation process, with a significant number of children entering Afghanistan unaccompanied.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also reported that, as a result of these mass deportations, more than 5,000 Afghan children have been separated from their families.