Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that all districts in the state have been directed to identify suspected illegal immigrants and deport them to their countries of origin under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950.

According to the chief minister, district commissioners (DCs) have been instructed to issue expulsion orders under the Act, following which the police or the Border Security Force (BSF) will escort the individuals to the border. Sarma stated that the government has adopted a “direct action” approach in dealing with cases of alleged illegal immigration.

The directions follow the approval of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) by the state cabinet in September to streamline the expulsion process. Under the SOP, DCs are required to ask suspected individuals to produce proof of Indian citizenship within 10 days. If the documents are found to be unsatisfactory, the DC will record the findings and issue an expulsion order under Section 2(a) of the Act, granting 24 hours to leave the country through a specified route.

For individuals already declared foreigners by Foreigners’ Tribunals and who have exhausted all legal remedies, no further verification will be required before expulsion. The biometric data and personal details of expelled persons will be recorded on the Foreigners Identification Portal and forwarded to the concerned senior superintendent of police.

The SOP further states that those who fail to comply with expulsion orders may be detained in a holding centre or handed over to the nearest BSF post under Section 4 of the Act. Individuals detected near the international border or within 12 hours of entry may be pushed back immediately as per the prescribed procedure.

The chief minister said the government has already begun invoking the Act in cases involving alleged illegal immigration from neighbouring countries.