Over 28,000 illegal immigrants deported to Bangladesh
2 Aug, 2014Reply by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has pointed to the problem of illegal immigration in the country. As per the information provided, 28,131 illegal infiltrators were deported to Bangladesh up to March 2014.
The MHA informed that the powers to identify and deport the foreign nationals illegally staying in Indian territory have been delegated to the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations under Section 3(2) (c) of the Foreigners Act, 1946.
For the detection of foreigners/illegal immigrants in Assam, thirty six Foreigners Tribunals have been set up. Further, 64 Foreigners Tribunals have been sanctioned by the MHA in June, 2013 for speedy disposal of cases pending with the Tribunals. In April 2012, the Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 1964 was amended, which envisages the disposal of cases by the Tribunals within 60 days from the day they are received from the competent authority.
Critics have argued that the official figures are only the tip of the iceberg and the actual number of illegal immigrants is large. A joint effort by the centre and state is required for the detection and deportation of illegal immigrants on a continuous basis.