Afghanistan Times
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TEHRAN — Iranian authorities have arrested more than 14,000 undocumented migrants in the province of Semnan over the past year, according to Sardar Jalil Moghoofe’i, the province’s law enforcement commander.
Speaking to ISNA, Iran’s state news agency, Moghoofe’i said that 8,200 of those detained have been deported after undergoing legal procedures.
“Since the beginning of the year, more than 14,000 foreign nationals have been arrested,” he said. “After being transferred to camps and undergoing thorough screening, 8,200 of them have been expelled from the country following legal procedures.”
The arrests come as Iran continues its crackdown on undocumented migrants, the vast majority of whom are Afghans fleeing economic hardship, conflict, and repression. Many of them, lacking legal documentation, face arbitrary detention, forced deportations, and limited access to employment and education.
Moghoofe’i also stated that, over the same period, Iranian authorities arrested 156 individuals whom they classified as “ranked and emerging troublemakers”, sending them to prisons across various districts of Semnan.
The United Nations estimates that millions of Afghan migrants, both documented and undocumented, currently reside in Iran, making it one of the largest host countries for displaced Afghans. However, deportations have intensified in recent months, leaving many families uncertain about their future. Human rights groups have raised concerns over the treatment of Afghan refugees in Iran, citing reports of harsh detention conditions and lack of due process.
The crackdown underscores the mounting challenges Afghan refugees face across the region, as neighboring Pakistan has also ramped up deportations of undocumented Afghans, forcing tens of thousands back into a country still grappling with humanitarian crises and political instability under Taliban rule.
