New Delhi: West Bengal’s home department Saturday directed all 23 districts to establish holding centres for detained illegal immigrants—the first concrete enforcement order from the state’s newly elected BJP government, which had made deportation of Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas a central poll promise.
The directions came three days after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari—who heads the first BJP government in West Bengal—announced a policy of “detect, delete and deport” for illegal infiltrators.
West Bengal becomes the second BJP-ruled state after Assam to establish such facilities. Assam’s first transit camp for Bangladeshis awaiting deportation became operational in 2023.
The notification from the Home and Hill Affairs Department, addressed to all district magistrates, directs them to follow Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines on deporting Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas—Myanmar nationals—apprehended for illegally staying in India.
MHA guidelines issued on 2 May 2025 mandate all state governments/Union Territory administrations to set up holding centres in each district under their police to detain illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The centres are to be set up in every district.
“In this connection, it is requested to take initiative/appropriate action for setting up of holding centres in the district for apprehended foreigners as well as for the released foreign prisoners awaiting deportation/repatriation in accordance with the MHA guidelines under reference,” the notification states.
The centres will serve two categories of detainees: foreigners apprehended by authorities, and foreign nationals who have completed prison sentences and are awaiting deportation or repatriation.
Under the Citizenship Act (Clause B, sub-section 1 of Section 2), an illegal migrant is defined as a foreigner who enters India without valid travel documents, or who enters with valid documents but remains in the country beyond the permitted period.
The BJP had made deportation of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas living illegally in the state one of its main poll planks in the April West Bengal assembly elections, promising tough action against what it called “ghuspaithiyas (infiltrators)”. The holding centre orders came less than a month after the party assumed office.
Last year’s MHA guidelines laid down the protocols to be followed in cases of Bangladeshi, Rohingya immigrants apprehended for staying illegally in the country.
They said illegal immigrants intercepted at lndia’s border, land border or maritime, while crossing into the country are to be sent back immediately after capturing their biometrics—fingerprints and facial photographs—and demographic details on the MHA’s Foreigners Identification Portal.
“The designated Border Guarding Force / coast Guard shall keep a record of all such Bangladeshis/Rohingyas sent back and a monthly report containing the details in this regard shall be furnished by them mandatorily to the Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreigners Division),” the guidelines said.
For illegal immigrants already settled in the country, MHA has directed state governments and Union Territory administrations to set up a Special Task Force in each district, under state or UT police, to detect, identify and deport them.
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