TEHRAN — Iran has deported around 38,000 Afghan migrants from the southeastern province of Kerman, local media reported, as authorities intensify efforts to curb undocumented immigration.
Naser Farshid, Kerman’s police commander, announced on Monday that local businesses have been instructed to refrain from employing foreign nationals without legal documentation.
The crackdown is part of Iran’s broader initiative to deport 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, noted an increase in detained migrants and voluntary returns following the start of Iran’s deportation campaign.
According to a recent report by the International Organization for Migration, at least 786,769 Afghan migrants have returned to Afghanistan from Iran in the past three months.
The report, covering the period from July to September 2024, estimates that an additional 973,696 people entered Afghanistan during the same period.
Approximately six million Afghan migrants currently reside in Iran and Pakistan, with an estimated 3.75 million in Iran and around 2.05 million in Pakistan as of September 2024, according to the IOM report.
