Why In News?
The Union Home Minister directed State Police Chiefs to launch a mission-mode campaign to detect and deport illegal immigrants using nationwide biometric profiling and intelligence fusion through the Multi-Agency Centre.
Home Ministry Directives on Detection and Deportation of Illegal Migrants
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) strengthened security directives due to concerns over human trafficking, fake identity documents, border demographic changes, and related national security risks.
Directive on "Detect and Deport": Instructed State and Union Territory police forces to identify undocumented foreign nationals systematically and initiate time-bound deportation proceedings under the Foreigners Act, 1946.
Comprehensive Biometric Profiling Mandate: Directed the mandatory recording of 10-digit fingerprints, iris scans, and facial recognition data for all detected illegal migrants to prevent identity forgery.
Purging Fraudulent Identity Documents: Mandated a coordinated drive with state revenue and electoral authorities to cancel forged citizenship documents and eliminate ineligible entries from electoral rolls.
Who is Illegal Migration?
Under Section 2(1)(b) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, an "illegal migrant" is defined as a foreigner who has entered India without a valid passport or travel documents, or who entered with a valid passport/visa but continues to stay beyond the permitted time period.
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Illegal Entry: Unauthorized clandestine crossing over porous land borders, riverine frontiers, or sea coasts bypassing designated immigration checkposts.
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Overstaying on Expired Visas: Foreign nationals lawfully entering on tourist, medical, student, or business visas who fail to depart upon visa expiry and melt into domestic populations.
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Use of False Documents: Procuring fake birth certificates, forged land records, and illicit identity proofs to acquire Indian passports and social security benefits.
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Unauthorized Residence: Establishing permanent settlements in urban slums and border belts without statutory foreigner registration.
What are the Major Security Concerns?
National Security & Border Vulnerability: Infiltration corridors exploited by economic migrants are simultaneously utilized by hostile foreign intelligence agencies, insurgent cadres, and cross-border terrorists.
Organised Human Trafficking Syndicates: Transnational criminal syndicates operate lucrative human smuggling networks across the 4,096 km Indo-Bangladesh border and the 1,643 km Indo-Myanmar frontier.
Identity & Financial Fraud (Hawala Networks): Illegal settlements run parallel illicit financial operations, tax evasion rings, and Hawala networks to transmit undocumented remittances abroad.
Demographic Distortions in Border Belts: Rapid demographic transformations in strategic border districts of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, and Bihar exert severe socio-political strains on local indigenous communities.
Pressure on Civic Infrastructure & Welfare Resources: Puts unsustainable pressure on subsidized food rations, public healthcare, municipal water supplies, and urban employment markets.