Story perspectives

UNHCR: 6 Million Afghans Forced Home in Three Years

9/1/2026

Center

Afghan Migrants Forced Returns

Forced returns of Afghan migrants occurred from Pakistan, Iran, and the United States in August–September 2026.
UNHCR said six million Afghans have been forced to return in under three years, the largest movement in history.
Pakistan granted a temporary humanitarian exemption for 16,000 Afghan migrants.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Afghanistan needs international assistance.
ICE flights in August 2026 deported Afghans to the Central African Republic under third-country policy.

Left

Afghan Migrants Return

In August–September 2026, Afghan migrants were forcibly returned from Pakistan, Iran and the United States.
Deportees with U.S. protection orders were sent to unsafe sites via opaque deals linked to an $85 million IOM grant and a $50 million fund for the Central African Republic.
Nika was arrested after a DHS meeting and placed on plane with 17 migrants.
Homeland Security said removals complied with due-process requirements and removal orders.

Blindspot

UNHCR said six million Afghans have been forced to return in under three years, the largest movement in recent history, according to the agency.
Within this story's sources, this scale appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Left-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

In the early 1990s the United States, under President Bill Clinton, continued the Kennebunkport Order that forced Haitian boat people back to Haiti, repatriating about 6,000 people in 1994 and prompting UNHCR criticism. The 1995 Haitian Repatriation Program, which returned roughly 30,000 refugees, echoes this precedent, shaping the 2026 multinational deportations of millions of Afghans.

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Afghan Migrants Forced Returns

Forced returns of Afghan migrants occurred from Pakistan, Iran, and the United States in August–September 2026.
UNHCR said six million Afghans have been forced to return in under three years, the largest movement in history.
Pakistan granted a temporary humanitarian exemption for 16,000 Afghan migrants.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Afghanistan needs international assistance.
ICE flights in August 2026 deported Afghans to the Central African Republic under third-country policy.

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