Modi Launches National Mission to Tackle Illegal Immigration Threat

On August 15, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a high-powered national demographic mission aimed at countering illegal immigration, which the government described as a coordinated attempt to change India’s demographic character, especially in border regions. The stated plan is to identify, verify, and remove illegal immigrants through a planned, time-bound program. Authorities have increased document checks in urban centers and frontier districts to find foreign nationals who may be living as Indian citizens using forged papers.

The announcement, delivered during the Independence Day address, signals the most sweeping anti–illegal immigration push in recent years. Officials say the mission’s core aim is to protect land rights, local jobs, and the cultural fabric of tribal and border communities while addressing what PM Modi framed as a threat to national security and social harmony. The Ministry of Home Affairs, together with state police and intelligence agencies, is leading verification drives focused on identity checks and detecting forged Aadhaar and ration cards. The government maintains that enforcement is carried out under a new legal framework and is not based on religion or ethnicity.

Scope, Targets, and Early Enforcement Actions

• Primary focus: Migrants from Bangladesh and Rohingya refugees.
• Regions with visible crackdowns: Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, and major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
• Rohingya settlements under review: Jammu, Jaipur, Delhi, and Hyderabad.
• Reported deportations: 1,880 people removed between May 7 and July 3, 2025.
• Legal basis: the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which empowers detention and deportation — the government emphasizes this is applied without distinction based on religion or ethnicity.
• Official updates: The Ministry of Home Affairs posts policy and enforcement updates at https://www.mha.gov.in.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the mission’s time-bound design suggests a broader expansion of verification and deportation drives in the months ahead, even as debate grows over scale, due process, and community impact.

Data and Population Estimates

Estimates vary widely, which feeds disagreement over scale and approach:

• Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants: estimated range 2 million to 20 million nationwide.
  • Assam is often cited as hosting about 2 million.
• Rohingya in India:
  • Officially around 40,000.
  • Some unofficial figures place it closer to 75,000, including people alleged to have used forged Indian identity documents.
• 2019 Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC):
  • Identified over 1.9 million people as suspected illegal immigrants.
  • Of those, about 700,000 were Muslims; the remainder were non-Muslims.

Experts note the pace of reported deportations may fall short of what the government believes exists, and neutral observers caution that true numbers are difficult to pin down.

Policy Outline and Operational Elements

• Announcement date: August 15, 2025, during the Independence Day address.
• Mission objective: Identify, verify, and remove illegal immigrants; prevent what the government calls a “deliberate conspiracy” to alter demographics in border areas.
• Verification drives: Expanded identity checks and document reviews across multiple states; detection of forged Aadhaar and ration cards is a key element.
• Deportations reported: 1,880 removals (May 7–July 3, 2025).
• Law cited: Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.
• Information source: Ministry of Home Affairs at https://www.mha.gov.in.

Planned next steps appearing likely include expanded verification and removal drives and potential legislative amendments to strengthen enforcement. However, the government has not released a detailed timeline or operational thresholds.

Community Impact and Immediate Consequences

For individuals flagged during checks, the stakes are high:

• People unable to prove citizenship face increased risk of detention and deportation, and potential loss of property or livelihood.
• Urban and border areas report more frequent police verifications, which can disrupt daily work for migrants and local residents.
• Households employing domestic workers and small contractors hiring day labor may see more police verification visits.

The government argues tighter scrutiny will protect citizens’ land and jobs, particularly in tribal belts and border districts. Labor economists warn that faster removals may strain construction, domestic work, and other informal sectors that rely heavily on migrant labor.

Political Responses and Legal Concerns

• Opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress, sharply criticized the campaign, arguing it could unfairly target Bengali-speaking migrants and be used for political ends.
• Analysts warn the issue can be politicized for electoral gain, especially in migrant-heavy areas that may influence voter rolls.
• Civil society groups and opposition leaders are preparing for legal scrutiny of new measures.
• Neutral observers caution against sweeping actions that could harm citizens who lack paperwork.

Supporters argue decisive action is overdue, saying unchecked inflows have stressed local services, altered community balances in sensitive areas, and undermined fair access to land and welfare programs. They stress careful verification but firm enforcement when fraud is found.

PM Modi framed the effort as a matter of national security, sovereignty, and social harmony, rallying state administrations seeking clearer tools to act.

Officials point to the Assam NRC experience—1.9 million people flagged—as evidence that large-scale verification is possible, though that process remains a contested precedent.

Uncertainties and What Comes Next

Key unknowns remain:

• The mission’s detailed timeline and operational thresholds are not public.
• How authorities will weigh varied documents and handle appeals is unclear.
• Practicals of cross-border coordination are not fully explained.
• Whether further legislative amendments will be proposed to tighten enforcement is possible.

Political debate and legal challenges are likely to continue, particularly in states hosting large migrant populations and in cities dependent on mobile labor.

Guidance for Residents and Affected Parties

Officials advise those contacted during verification to:

1. Cooperate with authorities.
2. Keep identity documents ready for inspection.

Those facing removal proceedings may:

• Seek help from registered legal aid groups or the National Legal Services Authority.
• Follow policy updates and notices from the Ministry of Home Affairs at https://www.mha.gov.in.

Key Takeaways

• The national demographic mission marks a major escalation in India’s efforts to address illegal immigration, blending security, citizenship verification, and local livelihoods into a single policy push.
• Enforcement is focused on Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya refugees, with deportations already underway.
• The initiative raises urgent questions about due process, scale, political uses, and social consequences, and is likely to prompt extended legal and political battles as it moves from announcement to implementation.