Iranian Official: 85,000 Afghan Migrants Have Been Repatriated to Their Country in the Past Year

Bayan News – The Director-General of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs in Kerman, Iran, has stated that in the past year, 85,000 Afghan nationals without residence permits have been repatriated to their country from this province.

According to IRNA news agency, Rahullah Khadripour, the Director-General of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs in Kerman province, added that the issue of migrants is a humanitarian matter.

He stated, “Migration from Afghanistan to Iran has intensified in recent years due to invasion, dominance, and the crisis generated by power-hungry governments, and a significant number of them have sought refuge in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

He emphasized that currently, there are no new conditions or possibilities for accepting migrants in Kerman.

Khadripour further mentioned, “Since the beginning of the year 2023, no new residence permits have been granted by this department to foreign nationals, and in some cases, previous permits have been extended, while a considerable number of individuals without residence permits have been repatriated to their country.”

This Iranian official emphasized that the process of repatriating Afghan migrants will continue with seriousness in the current year, and Kerman has become unsafe for undocumented foreigners.

It is worth noting that the Islamic Republic of Iran has forcibly expelled hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees from the country over the past year.