As many as 2,200 Bangladeshi nationals residing unlawfully in the national capital were deported in 2025, according to officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The large-scale exercise marks a significant departure from previous years, when deportation numbers remained negligible.
Officials said the outcome is the result of explicit instructions issued by the MHA to strengthen action against illegal foreign residents, particularly in urban centres with high migrant populations.
By comparison, only 14 Bangladeshi nationals were deported from Delhi in 2024, five in 2023, and 50 in 2022, highlighting the scale and intensity of the current year’s crackdown.
The issue of illegal immigration has been repeatedly flagged in high-level national security discussions. Officials confirmed that the matter was deliberated at multiple meetings, including the annual Directors General of Police and Inspectors General conference chaired by the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister.
Following these discussions, states were directed to carry out a detailed and sustained exercise to identify illegal migrants, verify their documentation, and initiate deportation proceedings in coordination with central agencies.
In Delhi, the responsibility of identifying illegal Bangladeshi nationals rests primarily with the Delhi Police. Special drives were launched to locate settlements and individuals suspected of staying in the country without valid documentation.
A senior official familiar with the process explained that once individuals are identified, their documents are scrutinised in detail. “In many cases, we found them in possession of Indian identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and even voter IDs,” the official said to News 18.
When such documents are found to be forged or fraudulently obtained, the individuals are detained and produced before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for further legal action.
After FRRO proceedings, the Bureau of Immigration transfers the detainees to restriction centres, commonly referred to as detention centres. From there, deportation is carried out in batches.
Once cross-border formalities are completed, the individuals are handed over to Bangladesh and formally deported.
Officials noted that the majority of Bangladeshi nationals enter India either by illegally crossing the border or by overstaying beyond the validity of their visas. Many are driven by economic hardship and migrate in search of better livelihood opportunities.
Others enter legally for medical treatment or temporary work but fail to return after their permitted stay expires, thereby falling into the category of illegal residents.
Despite the intensified enforcement, officials stressed that humanitarian considerations continue to guide decision-making in exceptional cases. Many Bangladeshi nationals have been allowed entry into India for medical treatment under humanitarian grounds.
Recently, the Supreme Court permitted the entry of a pregnant Bangladeshi woman and her eight-year-old child into India months after they had been deported. The woman, whose father is a daily wage labourer, was allowed to return for medical care and the free delivery of her child, underscoring that humanitarian relief remains available even amid stricter enforcement.
The current drive, they said, aims to curb illegal residency networks, forged documentation rackets, and unregulated migration while ensuring due process at every stage.
