TEHRAN – The government of Iran has announced that it is impossible to accept further Afghan immigrants, warning that unauthorized immigrants would be expelled.
A statement in this regard was issued by the Ministry of Interior on Monday which said that unauthorized individuals, particularly foreign nationals, will be repatriated.
The announcement was made in response to certain websites’ attempts to foment anti-Afghan sentiments, although no further explanation was provided.
The government has been visibly hinting at the possibility of a crackdown against illegal immigrants and Ehsan Heidari, the acting head of the Department of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs of Tehran had also warned of such a crackdown.
In March, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported the commencement of a police plan aimed at gathering and repatriating unauthorized immigrants from recreational areas in Tehran province.
In recent months, reports of detention and expulsion of foreign nationals from Iran have become increasingly common though it is still not sure whether the targeted individuals belong to Afghanistan or not.
The influx of Afghan migrants into Iran has ignited debate among citizens and officials as the country wades through economic unrest and also faces security threats.
The exact number of the Afghan diaspora population in Iran varies though it is believed that approximately 780,000 Afghans residing in the country possess official refugee status, iranintl reported.
An expert from the Iranian Parliament’s Research Center estimates that Afghan refugees crossing the border and fleeing the Taliban regime, constitute between 6 to 7 million.
Earlier, the government of Pakistan also launched a crackdown against illegal immigrants and expelled such individuals. Though the government clarified that no specific nationality was being targeted, those who had to flee mostly belonged to Afghanistan.
