People, suspected to be illegal immigrants. Representative image.
Credit: PTI Photo
Data by the Home department shows that there are 175 illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, in various parts of the state. Of these, 153 are in Bengaluru city. Of the 153 illegal immigrants, 104 are Rohingya refugees.
According to data furnished by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, the state has successfully deported 92 illegal immigrants so far to their respective countries in the last one year. This is over and above the 175 illegal immigrants.
“The state government had deported all 38 Sri Lankan nationals who were caught in Mangaluru to their country on humanitarian grounds. The police had arrested them on charges of illegal human trafficking in June 2021,” the data said.
Deportations
Three citizens from other countries were deported from Mangaluru, taking the tally to 41 in Dakshina Kannada district. Fifty citizens from other countries were deported from Bengaluru and one from Tumakuru in the last one year, the data said.
Once an illegal immigrant is caught by agencies, the government reaches out to the embassy and the ministry of external affairs of the country to
which the illegal immigrant belongs.
Information is passed on to them to begin the process of deporting the immigrants.
“The government is bound to keep these immigrants in detention centres till it secures the exit permits from the respective countries,” the law said.
With growing instances of illegal immigrants, the Home department has issued standing instructions to all police stations in the state to keep a strict vigil on the movements of foreign nationals as also ragpickers.
Schools & colleges
The government has strictly informed all educational institutions to keep tabs on expiry dates of visas of foreign nationals studying with them.