Iran has recently deported approximately 38,000 Afghan migrants from Kerman Province in southeastern Iran, according to local media reports. This move comes as authorities in Tehran increase efforts to manage undocumented immigration and reduce the number of Afghan migrants within its borders. Naser Farshid, the police commander of Kerman Province, announced that businesses in the region have been advised not to employ foreign nationals without proper legal documentation.
The deportations are part of a larger national strategy aiming to send back up to two million Afghan migrants by the end of the Persian calendar year. Earlier this month, Iran’s national police chief, Gen. Ahmadreza Radan, reported a rise in migrant detentions and a growing number of voluntary returns since the campaign’s inception. This crackdown highlights Iran’s approach to addressing its substantial Afghan migrant population, which has escalated in recent years due to ongoing instability in Afghanistan.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recently reported that 786,769 Afghan migrants have returned from Iran to Afghanistan from July to September 2024 alone. Additionally, an estimated 973,696 individuals entered Afghanistan during this period. With approximately six million Afghan migrants residing in Iran and Pakistan—3.75 million in Iran and 2.05 million in Pakistan as of September 2024—the scale of migration in the region remains significant.
Iran’s intensified deportation measures could impact local Afghan communities, especially as undocumented workers face increased employment restrictions. The scale of deportations underscores the challenges faced by Afghan migrants who rely on Iran for employment and stability but are now pressured to return amidst tightened immigration policies.