“The provisions of the Foreigners Act are far more effective in identification and deportation of foreigners who have illegally crossed the international border and have entered India without any authority of law and have no authority to continue to remain in India. For satisfying the test of Article 14, the geographical factor alone in making a classification is not enough but there must be a nexus with the objects sought to be achieved”. –Supreme Court of Bharat, as quoted while delivering the judgement on Writ Petition (C) No 274 of 2009 IN RE: SECTION 6A OF THE CITIZENSHIP ACT 1955
The crackdown by the newly anointed Trump regime in the United States (US) has again brought back the debate of illegal immigrants to the forefront. The Union Government in Bharat is also expected to introduce the Immigration and Foreigners Bill 2025 in the parliament. The moment such decisive actions are proposed, foreign-funded NGOs and so-called human rights activists rush to discredit them, hiding behind hollow humanitarian arguments. These groups conveniently ignore the long-term threats posed by illegal immigration— be it demographic imbalance, national security, or economic strain. The issue is not just an intellectual or legal debate; it is a ticking time bomb that demands urgent and uncompromising action.
The human migration, whether forced or voluntary, is not a new phenomenon in human history. Since the emergence of the nation-state system, we have adopted the idea of citizenship based on territorial integrity and sovereignty. As per the International Migrant Stock 2024, the report published by the United Nations Population Division, in 2024, the number of international migrants worldwide stood at 304 million, a figure that has nearly doubled since 1990. Individuals have legal options open to migrating to a country of their choice, either for education or work, as per the host country’s laws. Asylum seekers and refugees also have legal options available in this system, such as allowing them to register themselves and declare their country of origin. Illegal immigrants are the law mockers who break every rule to make their way to other countries – a good enough reason to detect, detain and deport them.
After entering the host country, the same illegals use all the corrupt means to acquire the documents for citizenship. Many criminal syndicates, human traffickers and drug mafia help them in the process. Eventually, the illegal immigrants become part of the same racketeers, weakening the legal enforcement.
The impact of this invasionary immigration through illegal routes on the local Indigenous population and their culture is horrifying, as can be seen in the Northeastern state of Assam. The social and cultural fabric of the locals is uprooted. Their legally and constitutionally protected land rights are encroached upon. Eventually, the illegals who start as a ‘minority’ try to occupy the democratic space through electoral machinery. The demographic changes ultimately lead to undermining the democratic process, which has been the pattern experienced across the globe. Bharat, with a history of partition, faces the threat of demographic invasion, leading to fundamentalism, radicalism and terrorism. The political instability and ethnic strife in Islamic neighbours like Bangladesh and Pakistan put additional pressure on bordering areas of Bharat. The Western world is waking up to this challenge with their recent experience.
The Supreme Court, through various judgements, has consistently ruled against the menace of illegal immigration. The successive Union Governments have also issued advisories to the states, urging them to identify and address this issue. Despite these efforts, the problem persists due to short-term political considerations, corrupt systems, and porous borders.
International NGOs, human rights organisations and their media arms have been dismissive and started narrating the soft stories. For their vested interests they can go to any extent and promote inhuman and undemocratic norms of immigration. The tough stand taken by the Trump administration has given us an opportunity to take the 360 degree approach to the complex but critical national security challenge. Time is ripe to build a global consensus on detect, detain, and deport strategy to combat the menace of illegal immigration.
