The State government has issued strict institutions to all deputy commissioners to identify and deport illegal immigrants from Bangladesh following a directive from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The ministry has set a 30-day deadline for states and Union Territories to verify the credentials of persons suspected to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar who claim to be Indian citizens. After the 30-day period, if their documents are not verified, they will face deportation.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters that district-level task forces are already in place established under the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA).
“We are on the job. Directions have been given to all DCs to crack down wherever there are suspicions or credible inputs. Arrests should be made immediately,” Tynsong said.
The Deputy CM reiterated that tackling illegal immigration is now a top priority. “As far as illegal foreigner migration is concerned, we have instructed all district magistrates and DCs to act on it urgently and make it a priority issue,” he added.
In a set of instructions, the MHA asked states and UTs to invoke their statutory powers to detect, identify and deport illegal immigrants. They have also been asked to establish sufficient district-level detention centres to hold individuals pending deportation.
