Foreign nationals entering country without valid travel documents treated as illegal migrants: MoS Home on Rohingya refugees

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Tuesday informed the Lower House of the Parliament that those foreign nationals who entered the country without valid travel documents in a surreptitious manner are treated as illegal migrants and accurate data regarding the number of such migrants living in the country is not centrally available with the government.

In a written reply to the Lower House of Parliament on the issue of Rohingya refugees, Rai stated that India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereon.

All foreign nationals (including refuge seekers) are governed by the provisions contained in the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and the Citizenship Act, 1955, and rules and orders made thereunder, he said.

He further mentioned that there are reports about some Rohingya migrants indulging in illegal activities.

The Central Government has issued instructions to State Governments/UT Administrations advising them to sensitize the law enforcement and intelligence agencies for taking appropriate steps for prompt identification of illegal migrants, their restriction to specified locations as per provisions of law, capturing their biographic and biometric particulars, cancellation of fake Indian documents and for taking legal proceedings including initiation of deportation proceedings as per provisions of law, informed MoS Home Rai.

Consolidated instructions to tackle the issue of overstay and illegal migration of foreign
nationals have also been issued on March 30, 2021, he added. (ANI)