Iran expels hundreds of Afghan migrants, including 34 unaccompanied children

The Ministry of Migrants and Repatriates of the caretaker Administration announced that 1,521 Afghan migrants and 34 unaccompanied children have returned to the country voluntarily and involuntarily.

The ministry, on Sunday, said on its social media platform X that these migrants entered Afghanistan through the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat province.

According to the Ministry of Migrants and Repatriates, these children have been referred to the War Child organization to find their families.

Previously, Iranian media reported, citing a spokesman for the Tehran Municipality, that a plan has been initiated to gather “illegal Afghan” child labourers and waste pickers, and they are planned to be collected from the city and returned to Afghanistan.

This is while the exact number of Afghan child labourers in Tehran is not clear, with most of them reportedly being under 15 years old.

It is worth mentioning that the process of deporting and detaining Afghan asylum seekers from countries like Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey has increased in recent months.

At the same time, according to a member of the Tehran City Council, there are approximately 70,000 child labourers in the city, of which 80% are foreigners.