5457 illegal immigrants detected in Manipur: N Biren Singh
On Wednesday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh mentioned that the state government has discovered a total of 5457 illegal immigrants in its territory and the deportation process is underway.
In his post on X (Formerly Twitter), CM Singh stated that that the government has detected a total of 5457 illegal immigrants in Kamjong district, Manipur as on May 7th, 2024.
“Out of the total, biometric data of 5173 such illegal immigrants have been collected so far.” CM Singh wrote in the post.
The Manipur Government has detected a total of 5457 illegal immigrants in Kamjong District, Manipur as on May 7th, 2024. Deportation process is underway – Chief Minister N Biren Singh#ManipurGovernment #Manipur #Immigrants #PowerCorridors pic.twitter.com/Qkhumqzc67
— POWER CORRIDORS (@power_corridors) May 8, 2024
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Singh continued by saying that all illegal immigrants who have been found are receiving humanitarian aid from the government, and that the deportation process is now under progress.
“Despite being an alarming situation, we have been handling it with utmost sensitivity,” said the Manipur CM.
Concerns regarding illegal immigration in India are becoming more prevalent in light of this news. The implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) is one of the measures the Indian government has taken to identify and deport illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigration in India
The central government regards those in India who are not in possession of a valid Indian citizenship or a valid visa as unlawful immigrants. The Foreigners Act, 1946, which defines a foreigner as an individual who is not an Indian citizen, applies to illegal immigration.
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It is crucial to stop illegal immigrants from entering India because they put strain on locals and constitute a security risk, particularly in vulnerable regions like Jammu and West Bengal.
As an illustration, the Indian security establishments stated that “there may be active Rohingyas in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mewat who sympathize with the ideologies of many militant groups and could pose a threat to internal security.”
Thousands of illegal immigrants have been flooding into Manipur and Mizoram from Myanmar after the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected administration in February 2021 and clamped down in an attempt to seize control.
The Mizo people view the Chins who are escaping the military regime in Myanmar as their relatives, and they have provided food, housing, and education to the Myanmarese refugees.
Manipur’s Kukis share an ethnic bond with the tribal people escaping the violence. On the other hand, the state government has accused them of drug smuggling and poppy farming.