Iran Implements Biometric System at Dogharoon Border Crossing to Monitor Afghan Migrants

Iran’s Department of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants has announced that the Dogharoon border crossing, a major route for Afghan migrants, has been equipped with a biometric identification system for the first time among the country’s borders.

Jafar Seyedabadi, head of the Khorasan Razavi Migrants Department, stated that the first phase of this system has been completed at the Taybad border, and it is scheduled to be officially launched within two weeks. He described this move as an important step towards “organizing” the entry and exit of migrants, emphasizing that biometric data of migrants will be collected with the assistance of Iran’s security agencies.

Seyedabadi added that the project has been completed in cooperation with various Iranian security and executive bodies, including in Taybad province, aiming to “accurately monitor and identify” foreign nationals, especially Afghan migrants, at the time of their entry and exit from Iran.

While Iran presents the installation of this system as a measure to regulate migration, the details of such projects raise significant concerns among Afghan migrants in practice. The implementation of this system at the Dogharoon crossing, which is the closest border point between Afghanistan and Iran, could increase pressure on Afghan migrants, many of whom have fled their country due to insecurity and repression.

According to reports, a significant portion of migrants forcibly deported under the so-called “return plan” have been sent back to Afghanistan through the Dogharoon border. Seyedabadi also mentioned that seventy percent of illegally staying Afghan nationals expelled since the beginning of the year have been deported via this crossing.

This development comes as the Taliban administration’s severe human rights restrictions, especially targeting women and minorities, have led to a sharp rise in forced migration to neighboring countries. Under such circumstances, the deployment of identification systems and enhanced border controls by Iran demands greater oversight and accountability from international organizations and migrant rights advocates.