 "Deportation Manual 2026: India lays down SOPs for action against illegal migrants")
The Indian government has released the Deportation Manual 2026 to tackle the problem of illegal migrants. The document is an SOP for the identification, detention, and deportation of illegal migrants and is valid in all states and Union Territories in India.
The standard operating procedures have also been passed on to the Border Guarding Forces (BGF), the Bureau of Immigration (BOI), Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs), and Foreigners Registration Offices (FROs).
Officials have said that the document will serve as a guide for authorities to deport illegal migrants.
What does the manual say?
The manual directs states to establish district-level task forces under police supervision to detect and identify illegal migrants, building on earlier MHA guidelines that set a 30-day deadline for credential verification before deportation proceedings begin.
Holding centres are to be established at the district level, with migrants awaiting verification housed there; if no credential report is received within 30 days, the Foreigners Registration Office is empowered to proceed with deportation.
District magistrates are designated as the competent authority to verify citizenship claims, a significant expansion of the DM’s existing administrative powers, meant to cut delays that have historically stretched identification timelines over months.
The manual formalises India’s accelerated push against Bangladeshi and Rohingya illegal migrants in particular, institutionalising a process that has seen hundreds deported in coordinated drives across Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Assam since May 2025.
Why are they being introduced now?
The development comes ahead of upcoming state elections in border states such as Assam and West Bengal, where the issue of illegal migration has been repeatedly raised by various political parties. Officials said many illegal immigrants enter the country without valid travel documents, often through clandestine and surreptitious means.
Authorities added that the detection, detention, and deportation of foreign nationals staying illegally, including those from Bangladesh, is a continuous process. On the question of numbers, another official said, “Since the entry of such foreign nationals into the country is clandestine and surreptitious, it is not possible to obtain accurate data on the number of Bangladeshis living in various parts of the country.”
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