Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The picture of the declaration and deportation of foreigners from Assam continues to be hazy. The difference between the numbers of declared foreigners and deported foreigners is quite wide in the state. Over one lakh declared foreigners and their progenies have been roaming in Assam for years. Does the government have any mechanism to find them and deport them?
According to official data, until September 2025, foreigners tribunals (FTs) declared 1,35, 901 post-1971 foreigners, and the government deported 30,130 of them so far. Where have the over one lakh declared foreigners gone?
FTs declared 33,439 foreigners entered Assam between 1966 and 1971, and 18,175 of them registered their names with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). According to the rules, foreigners who entered Assam between 1966 and 1971 had to register with the FRRO within a stipulated time of their declaration. The government was to deport the declared foreigners of that period if they had not registered themselves with FRRO within the stipulated time.
Though the official data claims to have deported 30,130 post-1971 foreigners, the picture continues to remain hazy. The government claims that from 2013 to 2025 it has deported only 467 foreigners to Bangladesh through the proper channel. One can gauge how many years the government would need to deport 30,130 foreigners to Bangladesh through the proper channel. This is the reason why the border police and the BSF are opting to push back declared foreigners to Bangladesh instead of formally handing them over to their Bangladesh authorities through the proper channel. What is the government’s stance on the more than one lakh declared foreigners still roaming in the state?
For the past few months, the border police and the BSF have been handing over Bangladeshis caught while entering Assam the very next day under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950. On average, 20 Bangladeshis attempt to enter Assam daily, and they are pushed back instantly the very next day when caught.
Also Read: Assam: 32,207 foreigners detected since 2021; 1,416 deported