TEHRAN – Home Minister Escandar Momeni said the country does not plan to deport documented and licensed refugees.
“We are just deporting two million Afghans who live illegally in Iran,” he said.
Iran is not an anti-immigrant country as it hosts six million foreigners. Around 800,000 of the 2 million undocumented refugees have left the country since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21), Isna cited Momeni on Friday.
“These are honorable people who contributed to the country’s production. Under regulations, unfair refugees must leave the country. If they want to live here, they must follow legal procedures,” the official noted.
More than 80% of Afghan refugees return to Japan voluntarily
A total of 717,658 Afghans returned to Afghanistan from March 21 to June 27. Over 80% of them have voluntarily left the country.
According to the head of the National Immigration Agency at Nader Yar-Ahmadi, there was no residency and the type of services offered to documented Afghans living in the country.
On the contrary, as illegal citizens leave the country, they will benefit from more services, the IRNA reported.
“The majority of these citizens are employees or students. We usually see employment as the basis for residential use in long-term planning,” the IRNA quotes Yar-Ahmadi.
Officials went on to say that the presence of illegal immigrants in any country poses many challenges and that in critical circumstances they will become the main suspects. Their presence has a negative impact on the economy, society and the security sector.
Global experience shows that at best immigrants can make up 3% of the population of any country. Iran’s population is estimated to reach around 90 million next year, which means that 3 million migrants. Currently, the country has over 6.1 million citizens and should gradually decrease, Yar-Ahmadi added.
According to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Association (IFRC), the number of Afghans returning from Iran this year exceeds 800,000. Over 137,000 people returned to Afghanistan via the Islamic Kara border in June alone.
The IFRC has called for increased funding, essential supply and long-term support to help Afghans return from Iran.
The organization urges governments, donors and humanitarian organisations to support refugees and highlights that Afghanistan’s Red Crescent and its partners are doing everything they can, but the scale of the need is immeasurable.
“This issue doesn’t give the attention it deserves,” said Alexander Mashu, director of Asia-Pacific at IFRC after visiting the border over the weekend. “These individuals are more than just statistics.
They are mothers, fathers and children who are back in a country that is already facing major challenges. ”
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