Over 12,000 foreign nationals deported from Iraq this year

Newsroom – Iraqi authorities have announced the deportation of more than 12,000 foreign nationals to their home countries this year for allegedly violating residency rules. Brigadier Miqdad Miri, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, told local media that the expelled individuals hailed from various Arab, Asian, and African nations, totaling 12,250.

Many foreign nationals are brought to Iraq by human trafficking networks. The Strategic Center for Human Rights (SCHR) in Iraq revealed that since 2023, over 10,000 illegal immigrants have been apprehended and deported. According to the center, human traffickers exploit various means, including tourism, to bring foreigners into the country. Bangladeshi nationals and individuals from other Asian countries constitute the majority of those trafficked into Iraq, as per SCHR. The center also highlighted that an estimated half a million people have been trafficked into Iraq in recent years.

The announcement of deportations coincides with a proposed amendment to Iraq’s nationality law, currently under review by the Iraqi Parliament. If ratified, the amendment would grant Iraqi citizenship to foreign nationals who have lived in the country for at least one year. The proposed legislation has sparked an uproar, with many fearing demographic change as a result of such lax citizenship measures.