Iran gives illegal migrants ultimatum to leave country

A senior Iranian military commander has notified that illegal immigrants in Iran, mostly from neighboring Afghanistan, have until the end of the current year on the Persian calendar, March 20, to leave the country.

The commander of the border guards’ headquarters, Brigadier General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi, stressed on Monday that Iran’s policy is to expel millions of illegal migrants “in line with people’s demand and national interest.”

Brig. Gen. Goudarzi further said Iran has hosted the undocumented migrants on humanitarian grounds despite strains on its facilities and resources.

Last week, Iran’s police chief Brigadier General Ahmadreza Radan also made similar remarks.

Unofficial estimates put the number of unauthorized Afghan immigrants in Iran at over 8 million. They have chosen Iran as a refuge for decades to escape conflicts, poverty, and the Taliban rule in their country.

The influx of refugees into Iran, especially after the 2021 takeover of the Taliban, has raised the security and social alarms, with many Iranians demanding expulsion of the Afghan migrants on social media.

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