TEHRAN — Iranian authorities have detained 72 Afghan migrants in Semnan province over the past three days as part of an ongoing crackdown on undocumented foreigners, according to Gholamhossein Arab, the police chief of Damghan district.
Arab stated that the detained individuals have been transferred to a migrant camp for deportation.
“Given the rising presence of undocumented migrants in Damghan, a collection plan was implemented to remove them,” he said.
In addition to the arrests, Iranian authorities shut down three businesses for employing Afghan migrants without proper documentation, Arab said.
“After identifying the individuals, officers carried out a coordinated operation, detaining 72 undocumented migrants and sending them to a deportation center,” he added.
He also urged Iranian citizens to report suspected migrant activity to the country’s police emergency hotline (110).
Afghan migrants in both Iran and Pakistan are increasingly facing detentions and deportations. Many have raised concerns over harsh treatment by security forces.
Some Afghan refugees in Pakistan have shared videos with Amu, describing mistreatment by Pakistani authorities and expressing fears about forced repatriation.
