Over 30,000 foreigners sent back under Assam’s strict pushback policy: CM Sarma

Guwahati, Sept 10: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has revealed that more than 30,000 illegal immigrants have been pushed back from Assam.

“We have pushed back almost 30,000 foreigners by now. The pushback data has reached to 30,120,” Sarma said, during a press briefing on Tuesday evening.

The Chief Minister, however, noted that the data is cumulative and not bound to a specific timeframe.

“This is not year-wise data. It represents the total since we began implementing the pushback policy. It could cover 10 years, five years, two years, six months, or even two months,” he said.

Sarma added that the numbers are expected to rise following the implementation of a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the removal of “foreigners” under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950.

Under the SOP, District Commissioners and Additional District Commissioners across districts have been empowered by the Centre to issue a 10-day notice to suspected foreigners to produce documents proving their citizenship.

“If the DC or ADC is convinced that the person is a foreigner, an expulsion order will be issued on the 10th day itself,” Sarma said, adding that this process will bypass the Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs), enabling faster expulsion.

However, if the official concerned is “unable to make a prima facie decision”, only then the matter will be referred to the Foreigners’ Tribunal.

Sarma stated that the SOP was introduced following a Supreme Court constitutional bench order headed by Justice Surya Kant, along with directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Earlier, on August 30, the state government reported that under the newly adopted pushback policy, the number of expulsions had already crossed 450.

While Sarma did not specify the exact sector, officials said most pushbacks in recent months have taken place through Assam’s Sribhumi district, which shares a border with Bangladesh.