Migrants returning from Iran say they may be forced to leave the country again if they cannot find work, highlighting the economic desperation driving repeated cycles of migration.
The Islam Qala border crossing in western Afghanistan sees thousands of deportees each day as Iran intensifies expulsions of undocumented Afghans. Many of those arriving describe harsh conditions in Iran and the difficulties of being forced back.
“We are waiting for visas so we can return to Iran,” said Ghulam Hazrat, one of the returnees. “We don’t even have money to buy a sack of rice for home. The fare from here to Herat is 1,250 Afghanis, and we don’t even have that.”
Another migrant, who asked not to be named, said he returned to Afghanistan to see if conditions had improved. “If there is no work, we will be forced to go back to Iran,” he said.
Returnees said the lack of attention to workers’ rights in Afghanistan is one of the main reasons behind repeated migrations. “This is not new,” said Yar Mohammad, another deportee. “These problems have been going on for 40 years. In Afghanistan there is no attention paid to the working class.”
Rights activists have warned that some returnees also face threats of reprisals from the Taliban.
Iran has stepped up deportations of Afghan migrants in recent weeks, despite protests from rights groups and international organizations. Migrants say unless jobs and education for their families are secured in Afghanistan, many will have no choice but to leave again.
Figures by the Taliban-run statistics authority shows that 1.8 million migrants were deported from Iran over the past three months.
