“Impossible to collect data of all illegal immigrants present in county, ” says Centre to SC

The Supreme Court has been informed by the Center that gathering information on undocumented migrants residing throughout the nation is unfeasible as foreign nationals’ enter the country in an covert and clandestine way.

The Center claimed that 17,861 persons had received citizenship under section 6A of the Citizenship Act, which pertains to illegal immigrants in Assam, in an affidavit it filed with the top court, which is investigating the constitutionality of the provision.

Responding to a question from the court on December 7, the Center stated that, between 1966 and 1971, 32,381 persons were identified as foreigners based on directives from a foreigners’ tribunal.

In response to the court’s question regarding the approximate number of illegal immigrants that entered across the country and not only confined to Assam, after March 25, 1971, the Center stated that illegal immigrants enter the nation covertly and clandestinely without proper travel documentation.

Centre said, “The detection, detention and deportation of such illegal foreign citizens is a complex ongoing process. Since entry of such foreign nationals into the country is clandestine and surreptitious, it is not possible to collect accurate data of such illegal immigrants living in various parts of the country.”

The government reported that 14,346 foreign nationals were deported in the five years between 2017 and 2022.

According to the Center, there are currently 100 foreigners tribunals operating in Assam. As of October 31, 2023, over 3.34 lakh cases had been resolved, and there were still 97,714 cases pending.

According to the statement, as of December 1, 2023, there were 8,461 cases pending before the Gauhati High Court as a result of the Foreigners Tribunal’s orders.

The government provided information on border fencing, border patrols, the operations of the Assam Police, and other measures taken to deter infiltration.

The Supreme Court ordered the Center to give information on the quantity of Bangladeshi immigrants who were granted Indian citizenship in Assam on December 7.

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