Amnesty International has cautioned the Egyptian authorities to halt the arrests and deportations of refugees and asylum seekers, warning that the ongoing crackdown violates international law and Egypt’s own asylum protections.

The Egyptian government has intensified raids on refugees and asylum seekers since December 2025, with plain-clothed police officers arresting and detaining individuals deemed to be living irregularly in the North African country. 

Amnesty International said  that refugees are living in constant fear of harassment after the authorities revised its immigrant rules to mandate every immigrant to pay $1,000 and provide a sponsor for each applicant in order to “regularise” their immigration status.

“Since late December 2025, police officers in plain clothes have been arbitrarily rounding up nationals of Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and other Sub-Saharan countries from the streets,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Monday.

Despite producing the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) identity cards during raids, refugees who lacked residency permits were whisked away in “unmarked police vans” and scheduled for deportation, Amnesty International said.

“Refugees who have fled war, persecution or humanitarian crises should not be forced to live in daily fear of being arbitrarily arrested and deported back to a place where they are at risk of grave human rights violations,” said Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt and Libya Researcher at Amnesty International.

Mr Shalaby said the actions of the Egyptian authorities violated international human rights law and breached the principle of non-refoulement contained in Egypt’s own asylum legislation, which prohibits returning refugees to countries where they face danger.

Between late December 2025 and February 5, 2026, Amnesty International said 22 refugees including women and children have been arrested and detained. 

Majority of the arrested refugees are from Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and Sub-Saharan countries

Amnesty International urged the European Union to intervene in the matter and stop the Egyptian government from repatriating refugees back to the same dangerous countries and situations they fled.

“The European Union should urge the Egyptian government to adopt concrete and verifiable measures to protect the rights of the rights of refugees and migrants as well as to ensure that UNHCR has unimpeded access to all places of detention where refugees, asylum seekers and migrants are held,” Mr Shalaby urged.


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