After the 12-day war between the Islamic Republic and Israel, which ended with the criminal intervention of American bombers and the bombing of nuclear sites, the pressure on Afghan immigrants in Iran increased to an unprecedented extent.

When the Taliban returned to power, Afghans migrated to neighboring countries in search of work, especially Iran and Pakistan. Before the start of the war between the Islamic Republic and Israel, the number of Afghan immigrants in Iran was estimated at around 6 million. Many of these Afghan immigrants belonged to the second generation, who were born in Iran and spoke Persian with local dialects.

According to the laws of the Islamic Republic, birth in Iran does not automatically bring citizenship. Children born in Iran to Afghan parents are still considered Afghan citizens. Donald Trump is also seeking to pass such a law in the United States, along with dozens of reactionary laws.

The war between Israel and the Islamic Republic, which began with the shameless aggression of the Israeli regime, led to an unprecedented increase in the deportation of Afghan immigrants. On the first day of the war, a significant number of leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and nuclear scientists were assassinated. This was a very serious blow that could not have been achieved without the influence of spies.

In the search for spies, Afghan immigrants were suspected at first. By arresting several low-level Afghan spies, the Islamic Republic regime fueled ethnic hatred and anti-immigrant sentiment.

Afghan immigrants in Iran constitute a significant part of the workforce, performing hard work in the construction and agricultural industries for low wages. Progressive forces in Iran, who had all condemned Israel’s aggression against Iran and the expulsion of Afghan citizens by the Islamic Republic, have emphasized that Israel’s criminal aggression against Iran, which led to the destruction of much of the country’s infrastructure, cannot be an excuse for expelling Afghan workers. These same forces have emphasized that the flow of espionage infiltration should be sought at the top of the governance pyramid, including those who were aware of the position of the commanders of the Guard Corps. Low-level spies could at most have moved pieces.

The brutal and inhumane deportation of Afghan immigrants from Iran comes at a time when the Trump administration in the United States has implemented a similar policy regarding immigrants. Armed forces who cover their faces raid the places where immigrants, who often come from Latin American countries, live and work, brutally arrest them and send them to unknown prisons. The way these forces cover their faces, carry weapons, and ignore any question to show their arrest order and state laws could be the signs of rising fascism in the United States. People ask what would be the next step: Arresting anybody who opposing Trump?

Progressive humanity wherever it is must defend immigrants, who are the hardest working part of the country. Protesting against the Israeli genocide in Gaza, which has become global, and condemning the Israeli warlords’ aggression against Iran can also be the voice of protest in support of immigrants wherever they are.