Iran Expands Biometric Screening Along Afghan Border Amid Security Crackdown and Deportations

Iran has launched a mandatory biometric registration system for all Afghan nationals at the major Dogharoun border crossing, marking a significant escalation in border control measures amid heightened security concerns and ongoing mass deportations.

Enhanced Surveillance and Security Rationale
Amirullah Shamqadari, deputy for security in Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province, announced the new system, which records fingerprints, iris scans, facial recognition data, and comprehensive personal histories. Officials state the technology is designed to precisely manage the entry and exit of Afghan travelers, distinguishing lawful visitors from potential security threats.

The initiative follows Iranian authorities citing increased security risks, including concerns over militant infiltration and undocumented migration. These concerns have been amplified by recent terror-related incidents within Iran, some reportedly involving individuals who entered from Afghanistan. The incidents have exposed perceived vulnerabilities in existing vetting procedures at borders and in urban centers.

A Broadening Surveillance Net
According to the state news agency IRNA, the government plans to extend biometric registration to Iran’s air borders soon, indicating a nationwide expansion of digital tracking for Afghan migrants and visitors. This move formalizes and intensifies surveillance measures that have been incrementally increased since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, which triggered a surge in migration.

Ongoing Deportations Amid Humanitarian Concerns
Simultaneously, Shamqadari confirmed that the deportation of undocumented Afghan migrants through the Dogharoun crossing continues unabated. This parallel policy highlights Iran’s twin-track approach: implementing high-tech surveillance for those processed through official channels while forcibly expelling those without papers.

Iran hosts one of the world’s largest refugee populations, with an estimated 3-4 million Afghans within its borders. Many fled successive decades of war, economic collapse, and political repression. While Iran has historically granted a degree of sanctuary, domestic economic pressures and security anxieties have led to a pronounced hardening of policy.

International and Human Rights Response
Human rights organizations have expressed alarm at the developments. Groups like Amnesty International and the UNHCR warn that enhanced digital surveillance, coupled with accelerated deportations, places vulnerable Afghans—including asylum-seekers, former government aides, and ethnic minorities—at grave risk. They argue that biometric data could be misused for tracking and targeting specific groups and that summary deportations to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan violate the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to territories where they face persecution.

“While states have a right to manage their borders, these measures must comply with international refugee law,” said a regional human rights advocate. “Pushing people back without individualized assessments, especially while deploying a pervasive digital ID system, exposes refugees to severe danger and erodes their right to seek protection.”

Regional Implications
The tightening border regime is likely to further strain conditions for displaced Afghans, potentially reducing avenues for escape and placing greater pressure on neighboring Pakistan and Central Asian states. It also reflects a broader regional trend toward securitized migration management and digitized border control, often at the expense of humanitarian protections.

As Iran rolls out its biometric program, the international community watches closely, balancing concerns over border security with urgent calls to uphold the rights and safety of one of the world’s most protracted refugee populations.

 

 

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