Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security has announced that a number of Afghan migrants were deported from the country due to what it described as “serious crimes.”
The security agency issued the statement Sunday in response to inquiries from Mohammad Hakim Tursun, a former Afghan presidential candidate, regarding the reasons behind the deportations of Afghan migrants.
According to the statement, Tajik authorities emphasized that tens of thousands of Afghan citizens currently live and work legally in Tajikistan and that appropriate conditions for residence, employment, and education have been provided.
However, the committee claimed that some Afghan migrants had seriously violated Tajik law.
The agency stated that deported individuals had been accused of offenses including drug trafficking, membership in terrorist groups, sexual crimes against children, operating gambling centers, and document forgery.
The statement cited figures including 670 cases of drug trafficking, 32 cases linked to terrorist organizations, 15 cases involving sexual crimes against minors, 594 cases of forged documents used for asylum applications, and 45 cases related to gambling operations.
The committee stressed that such activities directly threaten national security.
The remarks come after earlier reports indicated that Tajikistan had deported around 250 Afghan migrant families.
Some refugees said they were not given enough time to gather their belongings and that part of their property remained behind in Tajikistan.
Analysts say increasing pressure on Afghan migrants across the region is deepening concerns over the humanitarian and legal conditions facing refugees, particularly those who fled Afghanistan because of political persecution or security threats.
Experts also note that framing migration primarily through a security lens can contribute to broader criminalization narratives surrounding refugee communities and may further complicate protection efforts for vulnerable Afghan migrants.
