Iran unveils plan to cut Afghan immigrant population by 10% per year

Iran's Parliament has proposed reducing the foreign national population by 10 percent annually, amid growing public controversy over the increasing Afghan influx.

Although the proposal does not explicitly mention any nationality, the term ‘foreign national’ is widely used by Iranian officials and media to target Afghan migrants, who constitute a significant portion of the foreign population in Iran.

According to a report by state-affiliated ISNA on Tuesday, the plan outlines strict limitations on residence and employment for foreign nationals. The Ministry of Interior is tasked with ensuring that "the population of foreign nationals residing in the country decreases by 10 percent annually."

Additionally, if passed into law, within three months of its enforcement, authorities must ensure that foreign nationals and their families do not exceed "three percent" of the population in any city, village, county, or province.

As part of these efforts, border closures are being implemented and monitored with the help of artificial intelligence. Ahmad Ali Goudarzi, the commander of the Iranian Border Guard, announced that the closure of borders in key regions, including the southeast, northwest, west, and southwest, is advancing rapidly.

“The closure of the borders is being pursued swiftly and is progressing,” Goudarzi stated on Wednesday. He further explained that responsibilities like building border walls and roads have been assigned to the army and the IRGC, while tasks such as installing sensors, cameras, drones, and constructing watchtowers rest with the Border Guard.

The proposal comes amid growing concerns within Iran about the increasing number of Afghan migrants. Earlier this year, the Deputy Governor of Tehran warned about the "threatening" presence of undocumented Afghan immigrants, likening their removal to a "war” effort.

A recent report from the Tehran-based pro-reform newspaper Ham-Mihan revealed that Afghans must now purchase an expensive smart card to stay in Iran, a card that costs one billion rials (nearly $1,700), highlighting the Iranian authorities' intensified pressure on Afghan migrants.

Last year, the Supreme National Security Council banned Afghans from nearly half of Iran's provinces, further tightening immigration policies. Some reports suggest that as many as 10,000 Afghans have been entering Iran daily, with the Afghan population in the country approaching 10 million.

In addition to the growing influx, Iran's handling of Afghan migrants has raised humanitarian concerns. According to Afghan authorities, over 20,000 Afghan children were deported from Iran last year, many of them unaccompanied.

Iran's proposal to reduce the foreign population, particularly targeting Afghan migrants, reflects a stricter approach to immigration control under the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

The measures look set to intensify the difficulties faced by Afghan immigrants, raising concerns about the broader social and humanitarian implications for the population fleeing Taliban rule in war-torn Afghanistan.