Assam has been able to repatriate only 467 individuals despite nearly 1.7 lakh people being declared illegal foreigners by Foreigners’ Tribunals in the state, Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya said, highlighting the gap between legal declarations and actual deportations.
Addressing the Republic Day समारोह in Guwahati, the Governor said that since the inception of Foreigners’ Tribunals in Assam, around 4.35 lakh cases related to suspected nationality have been referred to them. Of these, more than 3.5 lakh cases have been disposed of, resulting in about 1.7 lakh people being declared illegal foreigners.
However, the Governor noted that the number of people actually repatriated remains very low. “So far, only 467 declared illegal foreigners have been deported to their countries of origin,” he said. The statement underlines the administrative, legal and diplomatic challenges involved in deportation after tribunal verdicts are delivered.
Officials have previously pointed out that repatriation depends on multiple factors, including confirmation of nationality, availability of valid documents, coordination with neighbouring countries and clearance at various levels, which often delays or prevents deportation.
The Governor also referred to measures taken to strengthen border management along the India–Bangladesh border, stating that border outposts and patrol posts have been set up in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) and state police in vulnerable districts to curb illegal infiltration.
The issue of illegal immigration continues to remain a sensitive and politically charged subject in Assam, where successive governments have faced challenges in translating tribunal decisions into effective deportation, even decades after the signing of the Assam Accord.
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