Shabana Mahmood does not rule out sending back refused Afghan asylum seekers | Immigration and asylum

Shabana Mahmood refused to rule out the possibility of rejected Afghan asylum seekers being sent back to the Taliban-controlled country.

The interior minister said he was “watching very closely” talks between Kabul and EU countries about a repatriation program for rejected applicants. He also said there were “additional conversations” taking place in Whitehall about the return of Afghans.

If a repatriation program were introduced, it would represent a reversal of the UK’s current policy and would shock humanitarian groups.

United Nations Last month he described Afghanistan as a “human rights graveyard” that practices “gender discrimination” through torture and corporal punishment.

Women and girls over the age of 11 are excluded from education and many are barred from working in paid employment.

Under current rules in the UK, the government cannot return people whose asylum claims have been rejected to Afghanistan because the UK does not recognize the Taliban-led government.

Mahmood made the statement just days after the Swedish government confirmed it had facilitated talks between Kabul and Brussels on a repatriation agreement to take place within weeks.

Asked by journalists in Dunkirk on Thursday whether he would be open to similar talks with the Taliban, Mahmood said: “We are following very closely what is going on in terms of other countries, whether it is European partners or other countries, and the talks they are having with other countries, including Afghanistan.”

“I won’t get into the additional discussions that are going on within the government – ​​we’ll have more to say on that in the future – but of course we’re watching closely and working with our partners in terms of the efforts that we all need to make collectively to try to get agreements.

“I It doesn’t decide in or out. I won’t be making a running commentary on any additional conversations that are taking place.

The government is trying to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel on small boats.

The most common nationality arriving by small boat in the year ending June 2025 was Afghans; The number of Afghans arriving reached 6,360, an increase of 18% compared to the previous year.

Between 2022 and 2024, approximately 29,600 Afghan citizens sought asylum in the UK.

Grant rates for Afghan asylum seekers fell sharply from 99% in 2023 to 38% in the first half of 2025, following the introduction of a higher standard of proof for recognition as refugees in 2024.

Rejected Afghans remain in the UK without any legal status unless they leave voluntarily.

Mahmood’s comments followed two visits by European representatives to Afghanistan for consultative talks on the possible deportation of Afghan men and women from the EU to their home countries.

More than 20 EU countries have reportedly expressed interest in starting returns to Kabul. An EU-Belgium mission to Kabul was organized in January. Germany has deported more than 100 criminals back to Afghanistan since 2024.

Director of the Oxford University Migration Observatory, Dr. Madeleine Sumption said that if a person’s asylum claim is rejected, the government has already taken the decision that the person can live safely in their home country and being sent back would not put them at risk.

“In practice, many countries do not even return those whose asylum claims are rejected to Afghanistan, although some countries, such as Germany, are willing to do so,” he said.

The UN report, published last month, highlighted that conditions for Afghans, especially women and girls, had deteriorated dramatically in the six months to January.

Journalists were arrested, tortured and killed, female civil servants were fired without due process, and authorities also closed beauty salons, gyms and other public areas.

Women are also prohibited from walking in public parks, traveling without a male companion, are required to fully cover themselves when leaving the house, and are not allowed to be heard speaking in public.

Keir Starmer has made it his government’s core mission to halve violence against women and girls in the UK within ten years.

Mahmood stepped up strict measures to make it harder for people hoping to seek asylum after arriving on small boats.

He initiated a “one in, one out” agreement to send people arriving by small boat back to France in exchange for someone being granted asylum. A source from the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that 551 people have arrived so far and 561 people have been deported.

Those granted asylum will face a 20-year wait to apply for permanent settlement, instead of five.

Last month, Mahmood announced a ban on student visas for people from Afghanistan and three other countries following a surge in asylum requests from people “in the country” after completing their studies.