Iran plans mass deportation of 2 million Afghan migrants

Iran has intensified its deportation efforts, aiming to expel at least two million undocumented migrants by the end of March 2025, according to Ahmad Reza Radan, commander of Iran’s law enforcement forces.

"Our goal this year is to return and deport at least two million illegal foreign nationals to their countries," Radan said Saturday in an interview with IRNA, the official government news website.

Although Radan did not explicitly mention any nationality, the term “foreign national” is widely used by Iranian officials and media to describe Afghan nationals, who constitute the overwhelming portion of the migrant population in Iran. United Nations refugee agency UNHCR estimates that nearly 4.5 million Afghan nationals currently live in Iran. However, recent estimates mentioned in the Iranian media say the population has swelled to nearly 10 million Afghans - or more than 10 percent of the country's population.

Over 500,000 people have already been arrested and deported, and more than 250,000 have voluntarily turned themselves in, bringing the total of those deported to 750,000 according to Radan.

"We cannot allow some individuals to enter the country illegally, reside, and work. Citizens and business owners should know that employing these individuals and housing illegal foreign nationals is a crime," Radan added.

This comes as part of a broader crackdown that has seen increased deportations and stricter regulations on residency.

There has always been a steady influx of Afghans into Iran, with the migrant population estimated at around 2.5 million over the past decade. However, after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the numbers surged, with millions crossing the border. Many Iranians blame the Islamic government for not sealing the border, suspecting it of harboring intentions to use Afghans as foot soldiers—both to control the disgruntled domestic population and as fighters in Middle East conflicts.

In August, Mohammad Rashidi, a member of parliament's presidium, introduced a bill to amend the laws governing the entry and residence of foreign nationals in Iran, with the goal of reducing the foreign national population by 10 percent annually.

On Sunday, Valiollah Bayati, spokesperson for the parliament’s internal affairs commission revealed that under the proposed plan, "there will no longer be provisions for permanent residency" for foreign nationals in Iran, and only temporary permits of one year, three years, or possibly seven years will be offered.

1.3 million Afghans were deported from Iran last year with more than 20,000 of them being children, and many of them unaccompanied.

With 2 million deportations planned in the next six months, these measures look set to intensify the difficulties faced by Afghan migrants and refugees, raising concerns about the broader social and humanitarian implications for the population fleeing Taliban rule in war-torn Afghanistan.

The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported that 241 Afghan families were deported from Pakistan and Iran on Friday.

Many Afghan nationals who are now at risk of deportation under this plan include women and former government employees who fled fearing persecution. Under the proposed plan, it is becoming increasingly difficult for these groups to secure long-term legal status in Iran, leaving many vulnerable to deportation.