Iran has intensified its deportation of undocumented Afghan migrants, returning tens of thousands in recent weeks, a surge that has raised alarms among humanitarian agencies and even within Taliban ranks.
According to the afghan media, more than 3,000 Afghan families were deported from Iran in a 24-hour period on June 30. Of these, 2,510 families returned through the Islam Qala border crossing and 652 through Pul-e Abrisham. Smaller numbers also returned from Pakistan, 60 families via Torkham and 62 via Spin Boldak.
The single-day deportation came on the heels of a far broader campaign. Iranian officials confirmed that nearly 100,000 Afghan nationals were expelled within just one week, most through the Dogharoun border in Iran’s Razavi Khorasan Province. Taybad Governor Hossein Jamshidi stated that roughly 8,000 undocumented Afghans are being returned each day using over 250 buses. While he claimed most returns were “voluntary,” human rights groups and returning migrants have consistently described the deportations as forced, often accompanied by harassment, violence, and the confiscation of personal belongings.
The scale of the crackdown becomes even more apparent in monthly figures. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) confirmed on July 1 that more than 233,000 Afghan migrants were returned from Iran between June 1 and June 27 alone. Since January, the number has exceeded 691,000, with the IOM estimating that over 70 percent were forcibly removed.
Aid organisations are increasingly unable to cope. The IOM reported that due to dwindling resources, it could provide assistance to only 3 percent of the recent returnees. Officials warn that the combination of mass deportations and a sharp decline in international humanitarian funding could lead to large-scale displacement, hunger, and instability.
Even the Taliban has now acknowledged the severity of the situation. A senior Taliban official on Monday warned that Afghanistan risks facing a humanitarian crisis due to the relentless influx of deportees. The statement marks a stark contrast to earlier remarks by Taliban representatives, including officials based in Pakistan, who had claimed that Afghanistan was safe and that Afghan refugees should voluntarily return.
As deportations continue at a rapid pace, pressure is mounting on both the Taliban administration and the international community to respond to what is quickly becoming one of the region’s most pressing displacement crises.
