RASC News Agency: Iranian authorities have detained 2,735 Afghanistani migrants in the country’s central province, transferring them to detention facilities, according to Malek Hossein Chegini, the police chief of Delijan City. As reported by Mehr News Agency, Chegini confirmed that cracking down on Afghanistani migrants remains a key priority for Iran’s security forces. He stated, “Following judicial authorization, law enforcement officers apprehended 2,735 undocumented foreign nationals and transferred them to a detention center.” Iranian officials have repeatedly reinforced their stance on expelling Afghanistani migrants. Previously, Nader YarAhmadi, head of Iran’s Center for Foreign Nationals and Migrant Affairs, described the removal of Afghanistani migrants as a ‘public demand’ within Iranian society.
He further announced that a nationwide census of foreign residents is currently underway, aimed at identifying undocumented individuals and mitigating legal complications. The initiative is expected to be fully executed by the end of this year. The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan triggered one of the largest refugee exoduses in recent history, with millions of Afghanistanis fleeing the country to escape political persecution, ethnic and linguistic repression, economic devastation, and widespread unemployment.
Iran and Pakistan became primary destinations for these displaced Afghanistanis. However, in recent months, both countries have intensified their crackdown, placing thousands at imminent risk of deportation. These mass expulsions are unfolding despite the life-threatening dangers awaiting returnees in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where many face the prospect of persecution, imprisonment, and even execution.
