Latest news with #AfghanRefugees
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Inside Iran's crackdown on Afghan migrants after the war with Israel
Tehran, Iran – The wave of Afghan refugees and migrants being sent back from Iran has not stopped, with more than 410,000 being pushed out since the end of the 12-day war with Israel on June 24. More than 1.5 million Afghan refugees and migrants have been sent back in 2025, according to the United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM), while the Red Cross says more than one million people more could be sent back by the end of the year. Iran has been hosting Afghans for decades. While it has periodically expelled irregular arrivals, it has now taken its efforts to unprecedented levels after the war with Israel that killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, many of them civilians. Iran has also been building a wall along its massive eastern borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan to stem the flow of irregular migration, and smuggled drugs and fuel. The parliament is also planning for a national migration organisation that would take over its efforts to crack down on irregular migration. 'I'm afraid' 'I feel like we're being singled out because we're easy targets and don't have many options,' said Ahmad*, a 27-year-old undocumented Afghan migrant who came to Iran four years ago. Like others, he had to work construction and manual labour jobs before managing to get hired as the custodian of an old residential building in the western part of the capital, Tehran. At the current rate of Iran's heavily devalued currency, he gets paid the equivalent of about $80 a month, which is wired to the bank card of an Iranian citizen because he cannot have an account in his name. He has a small spot where he can sleep in the building and tries to send money to his family in Afghanistan whenever possible. 'I don't really leave the building that much because I'm afraid I'll be sent back. I don't know how much longer I can live like this,' he told Al Jazeera. Vahid Golikani, who heads the foreign nationals' department of the governor's office in Tehran, told state media last week that undocumented migrants must not be employed to protect local labour. Daily returns, which include expulsions and voluntary returns, climbed steeply after the start of the war, with average daily returns exceeding 29,600 in the week starting July 10, said Mai Sato, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran. She was among four special rapporteurs who decried the mass returns on Thursday, adding their voice to rights organisations such as Amnesty International. 'Afghanistan remains unsafe under Taliban rule. These mass returns violate international law and put vulnerable people, especially women, children, and minorities, at severe risk of persecution and violence,' Sato said. Alleged security risks Authorities and state media have said undocumented immigrants may pose a security risk, alleging that some of them were paid by Israel to carry out tasks inside Iran. While state television has aired confessions from a handful of unidentified imprisoned Afghans, but their numbers do not seem to match the scale of the expulsions. The televised confessions featured men with covered eyes and blurred-out faces saying they had sent photographs and information online to anonymous handlers linked with Mossad. Hundreds of Iranians have also been arrested on suspicion of working for Israel, and several Iranians have been executed over the past weeks as the government works to increase legal punishments for spying. Mohammad Mannan Raeesi, a member of parliament from the ultraconservative city of Qom, said during a state television interview last week, 'We don't have a single migrant from Afghanistan among the Israeli spies.' He pointed out that some Afghans have fought and died for Iran, and that attempts to expel irregular arrivals should avoid xenophobia. Economic pressures Before the latest wave of forced returns, Iranian authorities reported the official number of Afghan refugees and migrants at a whopping 6.1 million, with many speculating the real number was much higher. Only about 780,000 have been given official refugee status by the government. Supporting millions of refugees and migrants, regular and irregular, takes a toll on a government that spends billions annually on hidden subsidies on essentials like fuel, electricity and bread for everyone in the country. Since 2021, there have been complaints among some Iranians about the economic impact of hosting millions who poured into Iran unchecked in the aftermath of the Taliban's chaotic takeover of Afghanistan. Amid increasing hostility towards the Afghan arrivals over the past years, local newspapers and social media have increasingly highlighted reports of crimes like theft and rape allegedly committed by Afghan migrants. However, no official statistics on such crimes have been released. That has not stopped some Iranians, along with a large number of anonymous accounts online, from cheering on the mass returns, with popular hashtags in Farsi on X and other social media portraying the returns as a 'national demand'. Again, there are no reliable statistics or surveys that show what portion of the Iranian population backs the move, or under what conditions. Some tearful migrants told Afghan media after being returned from Iran that security forces beat or humiliated them while putting them on buses to the border. Others said they were abruptly deported with only the clothes on their back, and were unable to get their last paycheques, savings, or downpayments made for their rented homes. Some of those with legal documentation have not been spared, as reports emerged in recent weeks of Afghan refugees and migrants being deported after having their documents shredded by police. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni have separately said the government is only seeking undocumented migrants. 'In cases where legal residents have been deported, those instances have been investigated,' Momeni said last week, adding that over 70 percent of those returned came forward voluntarily after the government set a deadline to leave for early July. 'I sense a lot of anger among the people' For those Afghans who remain in Iran, a host of other restrictions make life difficult. They are barred from entering dozens of Iranian cities. Their work permits may not be renewed every year, or the renewal fees could be hiked suddenly. They are unable to buy property, cars or even SIM cards for their mobile phones. They are seldom given citizenship and face difficulties in getting their children into Iranian schools. Zahra Aazim, a 22-year-old teacher and video editor of Afghan origin based in Tehran, said she did not truly feel the extent of the restrictions associated with living in Iran for Afghans until a few years ago. Her family migrated to Iran about 45 years ago, shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution that brought the incumbent theocratic establishment to power. 'What really bugs me is the fact that I was born in Iran, and my family has been living here for over four decades, but I'm still unable to get something as basic as a driver's licence. 'That's not to mention fundamental documents like a national ID card or an Iran-issued birth certificate,' she told Al Jazeera. By law, those documents are reserved for Iranian nationals. Afghan-origin people can apply if their mother is Iranian or if they are a woman married to an Iranian man. Aazim said Iran's rules have only gotten stricter over the years. But things took a sharp turn after the war, and she has received hundreds of threatening or insulting messages online since. 'I've been hearing from other Afghan-origin friends in Iran … that this is no longer a place where we can live,' she said. 'A friend called me with the same message after the war. I thought she meant she's thinking about moving to another country or going back to Afghanistan. I never thought her last resort would be [taking her own life].' Aazim also said her 23-year-old brother was taken by police from a Tehran cafe – and later released – on suspicion of espionage. The incident, along with videos of violence against Afghans that are circulating on social media, has made her feel unsafe. 'I sense a lot of anger among the Iranian people, even in some of my Iranian friends. When you can't lash out against those in power above, you start to look for people at lower levels to blame,' she said. 'I'm not saying don't take any action if you have security concerns about Afghan migrants … I just wish they would treat us respectfully. 'Respect has nothing to do with nationality, ethnicity or geography.' *Name has been changed for the individual's protection.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Trump says he will help Afghans stuck in the UAE
By Doina Chiacu , Reuters US President Donald Trump. Photo: Getty Images/CNN Newsource US President Donald Trump has said he would help Afghans detained in the United Arab Emirates for years after fleeing their country when the United States pulled out and the Taliban took power. Trump, a Republican who promised a far-reaching immigration crackdown, suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January. In April, the Trump administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the US. "I will try to save them, starting right now," Trump said in a post on Truth Social that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there. Trump cited news website "Just the News" as saying that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban. Reuters has not confirmed the report. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the US-backed government during the final stages of the US-led withdrawal. Nearly 200,000 Afghans were brought to the US by former President Joe Biden's administration since the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Kabul. Canada agreed in 2022 to resettle about 1000 of the Afghans still held in the UAE after a US request. It is unclear how many remain in the Gulf country. Some countries have forced Afghan refugees to return to Afghanistan. Nearly 2 million Afghans were returned from Iran and Pakistan in the past seven months, the United Nations said last week. Germany on Friday deported 81 Afghan men to Afghanistan amid a tightening of refugee admissions. Some other European countries are pushing to tighten asylum rules in the bloc. In the United States, Democrats have urged Trump to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government in place since 2021. Refugees include family members of Afghan-American US military personnel, children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government during the 20-year war. Shawn VanDiver, president of the #AfghanEvac advocacy group, urged Trump to follow up on his post with action. "President Trump has the authority to do the right thing. He should instruct DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the Department of State to expedite processing, push for third-country partnerships, and ensure that we never again leave our wartime allies behind," he said in a statement. -Reuters
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Farage slams secret Afghan refugee resettlement to UK, claims sex offenders among arrivals
Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, slammed the Conservative and Labour parties after it was revealed this week thousands of Afghan refugees were secretly resettled into the country without the public's knowledge. Farage claimed some of those Afghans are sex offenders, sparking a row with the ruling Labour Party, which denied the claims. Around 4,500 Afghans have been relocated to the U.K. so far with around 6,900 expected to be relocated overall. European Nations Demand Power To Deport Immigrants Who Commit Crimes Meanwhile, waves of migrants continue arriving by boat, further inflaming public frustration over unchecked immigration. "Amongst the number that have come are convicted sex offenders – I am not, I promise you, making any of this up, and the total cost of this operation has been a staggering £7 billion [$9 billion]," Farage said in a post on X. Read On The Fox News App "The numbers are off the charts, the cost is beyond comprehension and the threat to women walking the streets of this country, frankly, is incalculable." Relocating the 6,900 Afghans is expected to cost £850 million [$1.1 billion]. The £7 billion Farage referenced is likely the total cost of all Afghan resettlement programs since 2021 of about 36,000 Afghans through multiple schemes. The British government earlier this week revealed it secretly resettled thousands of Afghan nationals in the U.K. after a catastrophic data breach exposed nearly 19,000 applicants who had worked with U.K. forces, an operation kept under wraps by a rare "super injunction" that barred even the mention of its existence. The injunction was lifted Tuesday in conjunction with a decision by Britain's current Labour Party government to make the program public. 'Afghans For Trump' Group Feels Abandoned After Administration Revokes Refugee Protections A spreadsheet containing the personal information of the nearly 19,000 people who had applied to relocate to the U.K. after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was accidentally released in 2022 because of a defense official's email error. The government only became aware of the leak when some of the data was published on Facebook 18 months later. "I can't think of a better example of the total incompetence, dishonesty and genuine lack of understanding of what the priorities of a British government are than this Afghan scandal," Farage added. But U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey denied any known sex offenders had been allowed into the U.K. under the program and insisted everyone had been checked "carefully" for any criminal records He said if Farage had any "hard evidence," he should report it to the police. "Anyone who has come into this country under any of the government schemes that was under the previous government and now from Afghanistan is checked carefully for security, checked carefully for any of those sort of criminal records that would preclude and prevent them coming to this country," Healey told Times Radio, according to The Sun. British soldiers were sent to Afghanistan as part of an international deployment against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in the war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At the peak of the operation, there were almost 10,000 U.K. troops in the country, mostly in Helmand province in the south. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: Farage slams secret Afghan refugee resettlement to UK, claims sex offenders among arrivals Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Farage slams secret Afghan refugee resettlement to UK, claims sex offenders among arrivals
Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, slammed the Conservative and Labour parties after it was revealed this week thousands of Afghan refugees were secretly resettled into the country without the public's knowledge. Farage claimed some of those Afghans are sex offenders, sparking a row with the ruling Labour Party, which denied the claims. Around 4,500 Afghans have been relocated to the U.K. so far with around 6,900 expected to be relocated overall. Meanwhile, waves of migrants continue arriving by boat, further inflaming public frustration over unchecked immigration. "Amongst the number that have come are convicted sex offenders – I am not, I promise you, making any of this up, and the total cost of this operation has been a staggering £7 billion [$9 billion]," Farage said in a post on X. "The numbers are off the charts, the cost is beyond comprehension and the threat to women walking the streets of this country, frankly, is incalculable." Relocating the 6,900 Afghans is expected to cost £850 million [$1.1 billion]. The £7 billion Farage referenced is likely the total cost of all Afghan resettlement programs since 2021 of about 36,000 Afghans through multiple schemes. The British government earlier this week revealed it secretly resettled thousands of Afghan nationals in the U.K. after a catastrophic data breach exposed nearly 19,000 applicants who had worked with U.K. forces, an operation kept under wraps by a rare "super injunction" that barred even the mention of its existence. The injunction was lifted Tuesday in conjunction with a decision by Britain's current Labour Party government to make the program public. A spreadsheet containing the personal information of the nearly 19,000 people who had applied to relocate to the U.K. after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was accidentally released in 2022 because of a defense official's email error. The government only became aware of the leak when some of the data was published on Facebook 18 months later. "I can't think of a better example of the total incompetence, dishonesty and genuine lack of understanding of what the priorities of a British government are than this Afghan scandal," Farage added. But U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey denied any known sex offenders had been allowed into the U.K. under the program and insisted everyone had been checked "carefully" for any criminal records He said if Farage had any "hard evidence," he should report it to the police. "Anyone who has come into this country under any of the government schemes that was under the previous government and now from Afghanistan is checked carefully for security, checked carefully for any of those sort of criminal records that would preclude and prevent them coming to this country," Healey told Times Radio, according to The Sun. British soldiers were sent to Afghanistan as part of an international deployment against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in the war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At the peak of the operation, there were almost 10,000 U.K. troops in the country, mostly in Helmand province in the south.
Arab News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Taste of exile: Beloved Afghan street food disappears from Pakistani cities amid deportation drive
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: In a bustling corner of Islamabad's F-10 Markaz, the scent of sizzling oil and green chili chutney once signaled the presence of Afghan street food. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Today, the aroma is gone and so are the stalls that created it — the hum of grills and laughter and life. 'There used to be a few [Afghan fries stalls] around my neighborhood and then one morning, they just upped and left,' said Hamza Nofil, 28, who used to daily have the crinkle-cut, ridged, and golden chips, always served with the signature green chutney. 'So, you know, it breaks my heart.' The heartbreak is shared by many in Pakistan's urban centers where those fries, and the people who served them, were part of a larger story — of exile, adaptation and community — that is now vanishing as a result of a sweeping deportation drive targeting Afghan nationals. Since November 2023, Pakistan has expelled nearly one million Afghans as part of a crackdown on undocumented foreigners. The government has also not renewed Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for 1.4 million Afghan refugees, allowing their legal stay to lapse in June 2024. While the policy has drawn criticism from rights groups and international powers, it is the quieter losses, of flavor, memory, and a sense of belonging, that now echo through city markets and street corners. Among the casualties are the street food stalls, modest, smoky kitchens on wheels, where generations of Afghan refugees introduced Pakistanis to flavors from across the border: the fries dunked in secret chutney, paratha-wrapped burgers and mounds of Kabuli Pulao rice heaped with raisins, nuts and slow-cooked beef. Shahid Ali, 22, a Pakistani vendor in F-10, said he remembered when there were six or seven Afghan fries stalls in the area, as well as those selling Afghan burgers wraps packed with shredded chicken or kebab, slathered with sauces and served in paratha. 'You won't see any Afghans around here because the government sent them back to Afghanistan,' Ali said. As Afghan families depart, Pakistani vendors have tried to mimic the recipes but something vital has been lost. 'We are missing them [Afghan food stalls],' said Iqra, 29, a banker who only gave her first name. 'I will definitely miss them, especially their green chutney. I loved that.' 'A WORLD IS GOING' In Karachi's Al-Asif Square, nicknamed 'Small Kabul' for its long-settled Afghan community, the losses are not just culinary. They are existential. 'The craftsmen are going, the shopkeepers are leaving,' said Sayed Abdul Wali, a 27-year-old shopkeeper. 'A world is going to Afghanistan.' Abdul Kabir, a Pakistani who sells traditional Afghan naan flatbreads, said demand had plummeted. 'Where once three sacks of flour would be used, now we only use one,' he said. 'Even the morning batch is still lying here.' Anthropologist Saeed Husain warned of cultural erasure, saying more than flavor was being lost. He described Afghan food culture as a form of lived knowledge, passed down from generation to generation, evolving with each retelling. 'All these traditions will be lost,' Husain said. 'And then we'll just have copies, really cheap copies… all of that will be lost too now.' Afghans began arriving in Pakistan in large numbers after the Soviet invasion of 1979, with successive waves fleeing war, drought, and political instability. In urban Pakistan, cities like Karachi and Islamabad, they became traders, laborers, mechanics, and cooks, helping build the very urban fabric from which they are now being erased. 'Pakistan is a country founded in 1947 and made by refugees,' said Dr. Sanaa Alimia, author of Refugee Cities: How Afghans Changed Urban Pakistan. The professor said Afghans were deeply woven into the economic and cultural fabric of urban centers and played a foundational role in shaping the cities of Pakistan, building homes, laying roads, running businesses — and serving food. 'There are many examples, from agricultural production and farming techniques, to mechanics, to doctors… artists, tandoor wallas, and so much more,' Dr. Alimai said. But she cautioned against reducing the worth of Afghans to their economic value. 'Human and political rights are about protecting and valuing people irrespective of if they contribute to the economy or not.' Back in Karachi, Mohsin, a local customer, feared not just the loss of food but of taste, tradition, and togetherness. 'If our Afghan brothers leave,' he said, 'then perhaps the taste and flavor will leave too.'
