EU Begins Forced Deportation of Afghan Migrants to Turkey Under New Deal
The forced return of Afghan migrants from Europe to Turkey has begun under a new agreement between the European Union and Ankara, with expectations that these migrants will ultimately be deported to Afghanistan.
According to Turkish media reports, the Turkish government has signed a ‘readmission agreement’ with the EU, agreeing to accept back so-called “illegal” migrants in exchange for €3 billion in funding. The deal primarily involves member states such as Germany and Sweden, which had already initiated the deportation process for Afghan migrants.
Reports have also emerged of an Afghan prisoner being transferred from Switzerland to Turkey, signaling what appears to be a preliminary step toward the eventual repatriation of this group to Afghanistan over the coming months and years. In parallel, Turkey has launched a large-scale operation aimed at preventing the entry of new migrants, particularly starting in early 2025. Media claims suggest thousands of Afghan asylum seekers have been detained during these operations, though Turkish officials have not confirmed exact figures.
Separately, internal EU documents indicate that Germany, relying on the ‘solidarity mechanism,’ has been exempted from accepting additional asylum seekers until the end of 2026. Instead, it is expected to provide financial assistance. Germany argues that it has already taken in a large number of migrants who should have initially been registered in other member states.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says more than 1.7 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan to their home country between September 2023 and November 2025. Since April 2025 alone, over 869,000 migrants have returned, around 13 percent of whom were forcibly deported.
Pakistan’s deportation campaign began two years ago to identify undocumented migrants but intensified following increased border tensions between the Pakistani military and Taliban forces. This has once again highlighted the precarious situation of Afghan migrants in the region.
The growing external pressures and lack of sustained domestic support have made life increasingly difficult for Afghan migrants, particularly in a context where the Taliban administration has been unresponsive and has failed to provide adequate support for returning citizens.
