Iran Admits Labour Shortages After Expulsion Of Afghan Migrants
A senior Iranian official has acknowledged that the mass expulsion of Afghan migrants has caused labour shortages across several provinces.
A senior Iranian official has acknowledged that the mass expulsion of Afghan migrants has caused labour shortages across several provinces.
Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, Iran’s deputy interior minister, told state broadcaster IRIB that many employers had long relied on Afghan workers. He said more than 6.5 million Afghans were living in Iran before the deportation campaign began, with about two million residing illegally.
Calling undocumented migrants a “major problem,” Pourjamshidian said they must be expelled, though he claimed many had already returned to Afghanistan voluntarily. He added that those leaving voluntarily may be able to return to Iran legally “with the necessary permits, provided conditions allow.”
Jafar Seyedabadi, director general of foreign nationals and migrants affairs in Khorasan Razavi province, said between 3,000 and 4,000 Afghans are being returned daily through the Dogharoun crossing. He said deportations of undocumented migrants would continue until September.
According to Seyedabadi, 844,000 Afghans have been deported through Dogharoun since the beginning of the year.
