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Deportation repatriation Illegal Immigration Uzbek citizens

Uzbekistan Leads Repatriation of Deported Citizens from the U.S.

A group of 131 individuals from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan were repatriated from the United States this week on a special charter flight, Fox News reports. The flight, organized and funded by the government of Uzbekistan, followed a bilateral agreement with U.S. authorities and reflects expanding cooperation between the two countries on migration and security issues. Departing the U.S. on April 30, the flight primarily carried Uzbek nationals who had been living in the United States without legal status. According to the agreement, Uzbek citizens were transported to Tashkent, while those from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are expected to continue on to their respective home countries. U.S. officials welcomed Uzbekistan’s role in facilitating the repatriation. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem expressed appreciation for the initiative. “We commend Uzbekistan for sending a flight to return 131 illegal aliens back to their home country,” she said. “This shows the strong security ties between our countries.” Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the repatriation was conducted in accordance with international standards and aimed to protect the rights of Uzbek citizens in difficult legal and humanitarian situations abroad. Most of those returned had overstayed their visas or were found in violation of U.S. immigration laws. The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington, D.C., and the Consulate General in New York played key roles in organizing the repatriation process. Both diplomatic missions maintained close coordination with U.S. immigration authorities and provided support to citizens throughout their return journey. This was not Uzbekistan’s first such operation. Earlier this year, the country repatriated seven citizens from the United States to Tashkent after preventing their transfer to Costa Rica. That effort also followed high-level consultations between officials from both governments. With a population exceeding 37 million, Uzbekistan continues to enhance its collaboration with the United States on migration management, repatriation procedures, and broader regional security cooperation.

repatriation Ethnic Kazakhs Resettlement Kandas Integration

Kandas Resettlement Rises as Kazakhstan Boosts Integration Efforts

Since the beginning of 2025, 3,203 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to their historical homeland and officially received received the status of Kandas. In total, since gaining independence in 1991, more than 1.15 million ethnic Kazakhs have resettled in Kazakhstan for permanent residence. The Times of Central Asia examines who today’s Kandas are and how their integration and resettlement are being managed. Geography of Return According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, nearly half (48.1%) of all Kandas arriving in Kazakhstan in 2025 have come from China. This is followed by ethnic Kazakhs from Uzbekistan (39.5%), Turkmenistan (5.8%), Mongolia (2.5%), Russia (1.9%), and other countries (2.2%). As of April 1, 2025, 60.7% of new arrivals are of working age, 31.1% are minors, and 8.2% are pensioners. Regarding educational background, 17.9% hold higher education degrees, 27.8% have specialized secondary education, 52.9% have general secondary education, and 1.4% have no formal education. Resettlement and Regional Priorities Kandas are being resettled across the country, with labor-deficient regions prioritized. These include Akmola, Abay, Kostanay, Pavlodar, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan, and North Kazakhstan. The quota for 2025 in these regions stands at 2,309 people, with 642 already resettled by early April. Since the start of the year, 147 Kandas have received various forms of state support, and 94 of them have secured permanent employment. State Support and Economic Mobility The government offers a range of support measures, including a one-time relocation subsidy of 70 Monthly Calculated Indexes (MRP), or approximately $527 per family member. Additionally, monthly payments for rent and utilities ranging from 15 to 30 MRPs ($113-$226) are provided for up to one year. To enhance economic mobility, the Kandas can receive up to $8,600 per family, covering up to 50% of housing costs, for home purchases, construction, or mortgage down payments. Homes bought with these funds cannot be sold for five years, nor can they be transferred among close relatives, to prevent misuse. Since 2025, all services related to quotas and support have been moved online. According to Vice Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, Yertaev Askarbek Ertaev, this transition aims to minimize corruption and strengthen oversight of compliance with program conditions. A new tracking system within the “Labor Market” information platform monitors movements of displaced persons. Unauthorized departure from the designated resettlement region requires repayment of financial aid through a pre-trial process. Adaptation and integration centers were launched in 2024 in Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan, Akmola, and Abay. In 2025, Kostanay and North Kazakhstan joined this list. Full support is now available via the mobile app “FSM Social” (Fund for Social Payments), covering everything from adaptation to employment services. Among recent innovations is a simplified procedure for verifying Kazakh ethnic identity. To date, 13 applications have been reviewed, 9 approved and 4 denied. Program Development and Future Outlook In 2024, around 9,500 resettlement quotas were allocated, with 2,477 used by Kandas and 4,500 by internal migrants. The Ministry plans to increase the annual quota by 500 people moving...

repatriation Ethnic Kazakhs Ata Zholy Program

Ethnic Kazakhs Returning to Their Historical Homeland

Ethnic Kazakhs holding foreign citizenship have received a total of 65 "Ata Zholy" cards, granting them the right to live and work in Kazakhstan for 10 years, the Kazakh Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population has announced. Of these, 27 cards were issued to business immigrants seeking to establish and develop enterprises in Kazakhstan, while 38 cards were granted to qualified professional, including physicists, mathematicians, chemical engineers, maxillofacial surgeons, and paediatricians. The recipients have arrived from Russia, Germany, Mongolia, China, the United States, Israel, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The Ata Zholy Program The Ata Zholy (Path of Ancestors) card was introduced in July 2023 to strengthen ties between ethnic Kazakhs abroad and their historical homeland while attracting skilled professionals and entrepreneurs to Kazakhstan. Holders of the card retain their foreign citizenship and receive a 10-year residence permit, allowing them to live anywhere in Kazakhstan. They enjoy equal rights with Kazakh citizens, including access to social benefits and employment opportunities, and can apply for Kazakh citizenship through a simplified process. However, as foreign nationals, Ata Zholy cardholders cannot vote, run for office, or hold public service positions. Growing Number of Ethnic Kazakh Returnees The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection also reported that since the beginning of 2025, 1,070 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to Kazakhstan and obtained "Kanda" status, a designation for ethnic Kazakhs and their family members who have never previously held Kazakh citizenship. The Kandas who arrived in 2024 came from: China - 51.9% Uzbekistan - 37.5% Turkmenistan - 7.1% Russia - 1.8% Other countries - 1.7% Since gaining independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has welcomed over a million ethnic Kazakhs back to their homeland.

Islamic State Khorasan Province Human rights United Nations repatriation UNICEF Islamic State

Repatriating Islamic State Fighters and Families: Balancing Security and Humanity

With the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, repatriating foreign fighters is a pressing issue at the intersection of global security, humanitarian principles, and national responsibility. Central Asian governments — namely, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan — have emerged as proactive players in repatriating their citizens from camps in northeastern Syria. While these efforts are laudable, they come with challenges and unanswered questions. Tens of thousands of people, many of them women and children associated with former ISIS or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - a terrorist organization known for its extreme ideology and violent actions of its’ fighters — remain trapped in the camps of northeastern Syria. Their lives are defined by squalor and uncertainty, and they face a bleak future. Central Asian nations have stepped up where many others have faltered, asserting their responsibility to help their citizens who languish there. Yet, this commitment is not without its limits. Repatriating men — many of whom were fighters — remains a challenge that even the most ambitious programs have struggled to address. This issue looms large, as it intertwines with broader questions. These include reintegration, security risks, and the potential for radicalization, both in prison systems and broader society. The scale of efforts undertaken by four of the Central Asian countries is significant. Together, they have repatriated around 2,200 citizens: Kazakhstan, the most, 754 individuals, followed by others with numbers ranging from 381 to 533. These figures represent more than just logistical achievements. They reflect these governments' commitment to humanitarian principles. However, the path has not been entirely smooth, as some of the repatriated women and children have returned back to conflict zones. As counterintuitive as this may seem, they might do so out of ideological commitment, social ties, coercion or threats, trauma bonding, or difficulty reintegrating into their home societies. All this suggests cracks in reintegration programs that must be addressed. The strategies employed by the Central Asian states, despite their common goal, differ in focus and execution. Kazakhstan’s “Operation Zhusan” is often mentioned as a model of coordination and commitment. It has gone beyond mere repatriation to a vision embracing comprehensive reintegration, including other services, such as DNA testing to identify orphaned children. Yet such efforts rely heavily on state resources and long-term political will, neither of which can be taken for granted. Uzbekistan’s Mehr ("Kindness") initiative has particularly focused on protecting children and supporting the unification of families. Yet even with international appreciation, Uzbekistan faces the same challenges as its neighbors: how to sustain this momentum and address lingering societal stigmas toward returnees. Kyrgyzstan paused its repatriation operations in Iraq due to legal roadblocks and has turned its attention to Syria. However, Kyrgyzstan relies significantly on international cooperation, as its own economic resources for such activities are comparatively limited. So far, it has repatriated 511 citizens. Tajikistan’s steady progress highlights even more pointedly the role of international cooperation with organizations like UNICEF and the European Union. The Tajik authorities have worked closely with...

Migrants Women's rights repatriation Children Rights migrants rights war crimes war migration victims of war Islam

Central Asian Countries Unite To Support Women and Children Repatriated From Conflict Zones

UNICEF Uzbekistan reports that Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are actively working to improve the support system for women and children returning from conflict zones, such as Iraq and Syria. In support of the European Union's project “The second phase of EU-UN support to Central Asian states for their citizens returning from conflict zones,” delegations from the above met to discuss their shared experiences and means of providing necessary support and services for successfully reintegrating women and children into society. Uzbekistan was one of the first countries in Central Asia to start repatriating its citizens from conflict zones. Since 2019, the country has undertaken several missions to return women and children stranded in conflict zones as part of operations known as “Mehr” (“kindness” in Uzbek). The “Mehr-1” and “Mehr-2” operations have enabled the Government of Uzbekistan to repatriate many of its citizens, and in cooperation with the government of Iraq and UNICEF, offer a safe haven in their motherland for children deprived of basic necessities such as food, clean water, and medical care while living in war zones and refugee camps. On their return, repatriated citizens are placed in special sanatoriums where they are provided with hot food, clothing, and the services of doctors, therapists, and teachers. To date, Uzbekistan has successfully repatriated 531 citizens, including 331 children, 125 women, and 27 men. The country's initiative has been praised internationally and noting its focus on the interests of children and supporting the family unity and society, Ní Aoláin, a UN expert has stateed that, “The Uzbek model of repatriation and reintegration provides a roadmap for other governments to return their nationals from conflict zones." Kazakhstan, likewise, has committed to the repatriation of its citizens from areas previously controlled by the Islamic State, and has launched operations “Jusan” and “Rusafa”, implemented with a high level of coordination between various government agencies, including national security services, diplomats, and the military. One of the most essential repatriations took place within the framework of the “Jusan” operation, launched in 2019. The name “Jusan” means bitter wormwood; native to Kazakhstan and a symbol of homesickness. Through this operation, hundreds of women and children were rescued from dangerous refugee camps in Syria, including the notorious Al-Hol Camp. Maryam, one of the women repatriated during the “Jusan” operation, said that the "first time a delegation from Kazakhstan arrived was to collect data on Kazakh citizens in the Al-Hol Camp. They promised to come back for us soon. A month of waiting felt like an eternity to us.” According to women from the tent camp, the shortage of drinking water and provisions, essential medicines, and the unbearable heat aggravated the situation and led to constant conflicts between residents. The humanitarian operations “Jusan” and “Rusafa” enabled the return of 725 people to Kazakhstan, including 188 women and 522 children, most of whom were under twelve years of age. Kazakhstan's success in such operations has been attributed to the high level of investment by the state. According to Gabit Konusov,...

Kazakhstan Ethnic Kazakhs repatriation

Kazakhstan Encourages Ethnic Kazakhs to Return to Historical Homeland

According to the Kazakh Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, from January -April this year, 4,351 ethnic Kazakhs returned to their historical homeland and received repatriate status. Since 1991, 1,132,700 ethnic Kazakhs have returned to the country. From 2023, a pilot scheme, to assign repatriate status based on the “one window” principle through the embassies of Kazakhstan abroad has accepted applications from 7,518 ethnic Kazakhs. Amongst this this year’s repatriates, 51.1% arrived from China; 31.9% from Uzbekistan; 6.4% from Turkmenistan; 5.4% from Mongolia; 3.7% from Russia, and 1.5% from elsewhere. Those of working age made up 59.1%, minors, 31.7%, and retired people, 9.2%. Repatriates are resettled by the government in labour-scarce regions in the north and east of the country including Akmola, Abay, Kostanay and Pavlodar. To support their relocation, the state provides subsidies for each family member, and financial aid towards rent and payment of utility bills. The government has also introduced an economic mobility certificate for the purchase or construction of housing, and will partly cover down payment on mortgage loans of up to 50% or 4.28 million tenge per family. In addition, the government offers support to employers involved in the resettlement of repatriates in its northern regions.