No valid data on illegal migrants, says Kiren Rijiju

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday claimed that there was no “accurate data” available on the number of illegal migrant having come into the country. Speaking during the Question Hour in Lok Sabha, state home minister Kiren Rijiju said it would not be proper to brand any one particular community for having alleged links with terrorism or terrorists. “We can’t say that,” the minister said on the issue of labelling any one particular community.

Mr Rijiju, however, admitted that a number of illegal migrants had managed to procure valid documents in an attempt to make their stay in the country legal.

While replying to supplementary questions on the issue in the Lok Sabha, the minister claimed that since most of these migrants had managed to enter the country in a “clandestine and surreptitious manner”, it was difficult to collect official data or figures on it. In an attempt to deal with the issue, the Centre has already directed the states to constitute special task forces in every district to detect, identify and intercept such of illegal migrants.

The states have been given powers under provisions of the 1946 Foreigners Act to deport illegal migrants also. They have also set up detention centres where suspects are detained till their deportation proceedings are completed.