Over 800K Afghans Returned From Iran Last Year

EghtesadOnline: More than 800,000 Afghans returned from Iran over the last year, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced.

News ID: ۷۵۲۳۷۱

04 April 2023

More than 800,000 Afghans returned from Iran over the last year, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced.

About 400,000 of these immigrants were deported by Iran, according to Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the ministry.

The ministry noted that these immigrants were expelled from Iran due to illegal immigration and a lack of documents, TOLOnews reported.

"Last year, 820,000 immigrants from Iran returned to the country, of which 400,000 were returned forcibly and the rest returned voluntarily," said Mutalib.

Some citizens consider poverty and unemployment as the main cause of illegal immigration and asked the Islamic Emirate to provide employment opportunities for them.

"I'm a university graduate, I don't have work and the economic condition is very severe, therefore I have to go,” said Mohammad Zia, a resident of Kabul.

“I ask the Islamic Emirate to provide employment opportunities for youth inside the country, so they can work inside their community,” said Khaliq Dad, another resident of Kabul.

According to immigration activists, migrants face several issues along this path, including robbery and hostage-taking.

"To get out of this situation, it is essential that we develop a plan and fundamental solutions for a sort of legal immigration,” said Asifa Stanekzai, an activist for immigrant rights in Iran.

Earlier, the Iranian Embassy in Afghanistan said more than 6 million Afghan immigrants reside in Iran, about 2 million of whom lack proper documentation for residency.