DOGHAROUN BORDER CROSSING, AFGHANISTAN — In a sweeping crackdown following its conflict with Israel, Iran has forcibly deported 88,308 Afghan migrants in just seven days, according to a June 28 report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The surge marks a 268% increase from the previous week and signals a devastating acceleration of Tehran’s campaign to expel 2 million Afghans by year’s end.
Key Findings from the Deportation Surge
Unprecedented Scale: Between June 18–25, an average of 12,615 Afghans crossed daily into Afghanistan, with 55% forcibly removed by Iranian authorities. Families now constitute 64% of returnees, a dramatic shift from earlier deportations targeting single men.
Humanitarian Vacuum: Only 11% received minimal aid due to “critical resource limitations.” IOM urgently seeks $15.9 million to provide food, water, and healthcare to new arrivals stranded at borders.
Systemic Hostility: Returnees report beatings, property confiscation, and family separations. Iranian police have invalidated all lease agreements with Afghans and barred them from bus terminals, trapping many in conflict zones during recent airstrikes.
Why Now? Geopolitics and Xenophobia
The deportations intensified after Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, which fueled nationalist rhetoric and security fears. Authorities framed Afghans as “security risks,” with state media amplifying hashtags like #ExpulsionOfAfghans. Additionally, Tehran revoked bargeh sarshomari (census slips) that provided 2.6 million undocumented Afghans limited access to healthcare and education, rendering them “illegal” overnight.
“Life and death hang by a minute,” an Afghan PhD student stranded in Tehran told The New Arab. Barred from fleeing airstrikes because of her nationality, she witnessed soldiers dragging Afghans from cars: “We escaped war – where should we go now?”.
Intensified Deportation of Afghan Migrants from Iran
More than 88,000 Afghan migrants have been deported from Iran. This comes amid accusations against some migrants of collaborating with Mossad following the attack between the two countries. pic.twitter.com/88PXdifZMV
— khalilminawi (@khminawi) June 28, 2025
Afghanistan: A Nation Collapsing Under Returnee Waves
23 Million in Need: Returnees join 23.7 million Afghans reliant on aid, half the population, as the UN warns of “destabilizing” consequences. Further, order provinces like Herat lack shelter capacity, forcing families into makeshift tents.
Aid Collapse: U.S. and U.K. funding cuts have slashed humanitarian operations. USAID terminated $280 million in food aid contracts in April, while UNHCR’s Afghanistan response is only 23% funded.
Gender-Specific Risks: Deported women face Taliban bans on work and travel without male guardians. Unaccompanied women risk destitution or forced marriages.
Regional Domino Effect
Iran is not acting alone. Pakistan also deported 71,000 Afghans in early June, while Türkiye and Tajikistan accelerated pushbacks. Germany and Austria now advocate resuming deportations to Afghanistan, undermining the global non-refoulement principle. The U.S. termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans on July 14, 2025, will compound the crisis.
Voices from the Border
- Amina, a mother of three deported from Tehran: “We had a small shop in Iran. Now, we have nothing but each other”.
- Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Kabul representative: “Families arrive exhausted, hungry, and scared. Funding for reintegration is essential to prevent cycles of displacement”.
What’s Next?
UN agencies demand Iran suspend deportations and restore protection pathways. With the Taliban unable to absorb returnees, experts warn of mass starvation, child labor surges, and renewed displacement via smuggling networks.
