Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 29
“Foreign nationals who enter into the country without valid travel documents are treated as illegal immigrants,” the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed the Parliament on July 27.
The Minister of State (MoS), MHA Nityanand Rai said in a written reply to queries posed by two members - Parthiban SR of Tamil Nadu and Ravneet Singh Bittu of Punjab, on “whether the Government has asked States to check and prevent illegal influx of people from Myanmar reported recently.”
Regarding the reported influx of immigrants into Indian Territory due to internal situation in Myanmar, the MoS informed that the “Central Government has issued advisory to the State Governments of Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland on 10.03.2021 to take appropriate action as per law to check the illegal influx from Myanmar into India.”
India’s Standing Policy
“India, as a matter of policy, does not support any kind of illegal migration,” the Minister underscored.
“As per the Constitutional scheme, India, as a sovereign nation, has the first and foremost constitutional duty and obligation towards its citizens to ensure that demographic and social structure of the country is not changed to their detriment due to influx of illegal immigrants into the territory of India and resources of the nation are utilised to fulfil the fundamental rights of Indian citizens,” he added.
Detention and deportation of illegal migrants after nationality verification is a continuous process, the MoS said.
“The powers of the Central Government under Section 3 of The Foreigners Act, 1946 to deport illegal foreign nationals and powers under Section 5 of The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 to remove an illegal foreigner by force have been entrusted under Article 258(1) of the Constitution of India to all the State Governments,” he informed.
“Under Article 239(1) of the Constitution of India, Administrators of all Union Territories have also been directed to discharge the functions of the Central Government relating to the aforesaid powers,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Minister further informed that the Union Government has “issued instructions from time to time to all States & UTs regarding identification of illegal migrants and their deportation from India.”
Consolidated instructions regarding issues of overstay and illegal migration of foreign nationals have also been issued on March 30, 2021, he said.
The State Governments/UT Administrations have been taking action against illegal immigrants under the relevant provisions of The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and The Foreigners Act, 1946, he added.
