The number of Afghan refugees returning from Iran has doubled in recent weeks, with as many as 4,000 people crossing back into Afghanistan daily through the Islam Qala border in Herat province, officials report.

Many returnees say the situation for Afghan migrants inside Iran has deteriorated significantly over the past month. According to their accounts, hundreds are being detained and deported every day.

The Iranian government has announced that all undocumented migrants must leave the country. As a result, families like that of Mohammad Naeem, a 41-year-old who returned to Afghanistan after four years in Iran, are making their way back. He returned with ten family members, including his elderly parents.

Mohammad Naeem said living conditions in Iran for Afghan migrants have become increasingly difficult. “The living space for Afghans is shrinking. Many families are trying to leave,” he explained. “I was a carpenter, but I was still treated with disrespect. Even at the bakery where we bought bread, they sold it for 2,000 tomans to Iranians, but charged us 10,000 tomans for the same bread.”

Local officials at the Islam Qala border confirm the surge in returnees. Abdullah Qayoumi, head of the Refugees Affairs Office at the border, said up to 300 families are returning through Islam Qala each day. He stressed that various sanctions and restrictions imposed by Iran on Afghan migrants have led to a sharp increase in deportations and voluntary returns.

“In recent weeks, the return of Afghan migrants from Iran has accelerated due to mounting pressures,” said Qayoumi. “Iran has imposed a series of restrictions on Afghan migrants, forcing many to come back to their homeland.”

Some returnees have reported mistreatment by Iranian security forces. Saman Jamshidi, a deported migrant, shared: “Life in Tehran was very difficult, especially for families. In the camps where we were held, there were facilities, but they were not suitable for families.”

Alireza, a deported immigrant from Iran, says: “Those who have a passport or have documents are arrested, and those who have gone illegally are also arrested and sent back to the country.”

Aimal, a deported immigrant from Iran, says: “The Iranian police treat us very badly and they took money from us in more than a dozen places on the way home, and our demand from the Islamic Emirate is to question them.”

The emergency deportation policy recently implemented by Iran has intensified the wave of return refugees.

Local authorities at the Islam Qala crossing say that current support from international organizations and the government is not enough in terms of addressing the needs of the growing number of returnees from Iran.