Iran claims 70% surge in ‘voluntary’ returns of migrants from Tehran

Iranian authorities have claimed that the number of Afghan migrants leaving Tehran voluntarily has surged by nearly 70 percent compared to last year, amid an ongoing campaign to expel immigrants lacking legal status.

Vahid Gholi-Kani, director general for foreign nationals and immigrants in Tehran, said that more than 470,000 undocumented Afghans have reportedly come forward to return to Afghanistan so far this year.

This marks a significant increase from around 350,000 voluntary returns recorded during the same period last year, according to Iranian state media reports.

Gholi-Kani said the government is intensifying its campaign through pilot operations across districts near Tehran, including in Qods County, where migrants are being processed in designated facilities operating around the clock.

While Iranian officials describe the process as a “voluntary return,” international rights groups and United Nations agencies have expressed serious concern over what they describe as forced deportations under growing pressure and deteriorating living conditions.

Authorities in Tehran continue to refer to undocumented Afghan nationals as “unauthorized foreign citizens,” and Gholi-Kani emphasized that efforts to remove them from the capital will persist until the government’s goals are met. He added that broader policies targeting undocumented migrants will continue across the country.

Iran hosts one of the largest populations of Afghan migrants and refugees in the region, many of whom fled conflict, persecution, or economic hardship. However, in recent years, worsening economic conditions and heightened security concerns have led to a sharp shift in Iran’s migrant policies.

Rights organizations have repeatedly urged Tehran to suspend deportations and provide legal protections for vulnerable Afghans, particularly in light of the humanitarian crisis unfolding under Taliban rule. Despite these appeals, Iranian authorities have pressed ahead with their expulsion campaign.