Iranian Civil Society Organizations: Deportation of Afghan Refugees is Racist

A new wave of forced deportations, arbitrary arrests, and insulting treatment of Afghan refugees in Iran has provoked a strong reaction from Iranian civil society and trade unions, who have described the process as racist.
The Morning Star newspaper reported that more than 380,000 Afghan refugees have been deported from Iran in a short period of time.
The report states that more than 30,000 refugees are being sent to Afghanistan every day, mainly from Iran’s eastern borders; while before the start of Israel’s recent war against Iran, this figure was around 2,000 people per day.
The report also states that, as the economic crisis and social protests in Iran increase, Iranian government officials are trying to divert public opinion from domestic failures by using Afghan refugees as “victim substitutes.”
At the same time, the Committee for the Defense of the Rights of the People of Iran called the government’s move “inhumane” and “collective punishment” in a statement, saying that Iran wants to hide its security failures by expelling Afghans.
The Iranian Writers’ Union also warned in a statement that “anti-immigrant propaganda has reached terrifying proportions after the recent ceasefire and has turned into a form of fascist behavior and extreme nationalism.”
The union stated that Afghan immigrants are accused of spying for Israel without any evidence or specific reason and are being expelled from Iran with insulting and violent treatment.
Human rights activists in Iran say that instead of supporting Afghan immigrants who have worked in the construction, agriculture, and service sectors for years, the government is presenting them as a security threat with hateful policies.
It is worth noting that since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, millions of Afghans have sought refuge in neighboring countries, including Iran, to escape oppression, war, and poverty. However, the legal and security situation of these refugees is reported to remain dire.