Concerns Over Illegal Migration in Assam: A Decade of Declining Deportations
Overview of Illegal Migration Issues in Assam
Guwahati, March 24: Illegal migration from Bangladesh continues to be a significant political topic in Assam. However, government statistics reveal a troubling trend: the pace of identifying and deporting illegal migrants has significantly decreased over the last fifteen years, despite ongoing political discussions and promises.
In 2009, the number of deportations of illegal Bangladeshi migrants reached 10,602, followed by 6,290 in 2010 and 6,761 in 2011. This figure began to decline thereafter, with only 5,234 deportations recorded in 2013 and a mere 989 in 2014. The numbers fell even further to 474 in 2015, 308 in 2016, and just 51 in 2017, as reported by the government in Parliament.
According to data from the Assam government, approximately 137,000 illegal migrants from the post-1971 period and over 33,000 from the 1966-71 period have been identified in the state.
Between 1986 and 2013, around 29,600 illegal migrants were “pushed back,” while from 2013 to 2026, only 868 deportations have occurred.
In the previous year, 1,421 illegal migrants were “pushed back” after entering India unlawfully, and 52 were returned under the Immigrants (Expulsion From Assam) Act of 1950.
Authorities have expressed that the challenge of deportation is compounded by Bangladesh's refusal to recognize these individuals as their citizens.
The Ministry of External Affairs has indicated that approximately 2,369 cases are pending nationality verification by the Bangladeshi government.
A recent report presented to Parliament highlighted that, four decades after the Assam Agitation, illegal migration from Bangladesh remains a critical issue, particularly in border states like West Bengal and Assam.
The report emphasized that while the Ministry of Home Affairs and state governments are responsible for detecting and deporting illegal Bangladeshi nationals under the Foreigners Act, 1946 (now the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025), the Ministry of External Affairs plays a crucial role in facilitating nationality verification and repatriation of detained Bangladeshi nationals in India. It recommended establishing a dedicated bilateral mechanism or joint working group between India and Bangladesh to enhance the nationality verification and repatriation process.
Although an exercise to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was conducted, it remains unresolved.
Senior Advocate Upamanyu Hazarika, who recently published a book on the NRC process titled 'NRC- Turning Hope into Despair,' argues that the NRC's role in distinguishing between citizens and non-citizens is no longer prioritized.
“Currently, the government's focus is on delimiting constituencies, which does not address the issue of the 8 million illegal migrants in the state. Instead of identifying and deporting migrants, they are treated as citizens, and the political implications are minimized through redistricting. A correct and reverified NRC is essential, yet the government appears hesitant to pursue it,” he stated, adding that the foreigner issue is often raised during elections to appeal to indigenous sentiments but is largely ignored at other times.