The Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal on Friday ordered “holding centres” to be set up across the state for alleged undocumented immigrants and for released foreign prisoners awaiting deportation or repatriation, ANI reported.The order was issued by the Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs Department to all district magistrates, the director general of police and other senior police officials, as well as the Foreigner Regional Registration Office in Kolkata.The order referred to guidelines by the Union home ministry on the process of deporting Bangladeshi and Rohingya allegedly found to be staying in India without the requisite documents.The Home and Hill Affairs Department of West Bengal wrote a letter to the District Magistrate of all districts on the setting up of holding centres for apprehended foreigners, as well as for the released foreign prisoners awaiting deportation/repatriation.The letter reads:… pic.twitter.com/TFf53jOyLU— ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2026
“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,” the directive said, according to PTI.Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on May 20 that the state’s new BJP government will implement a “detect, delete, and deport” strategy for alleged undocumented immigrants in the state.“Those covered under the Citizenship Amendment Act [CAA] are safe here,” he had said, according to The Indian Express. “However, those who are not protected by the CAA and are illegal infiltrators will be arrested by the state police and handed over to the BSF [Border Security Force] for deportation.”The government led by Adhikari, in its first Cabinet meeting, had given its nod for land to be transferred to the Border Security Force to erect a fence along the border with Bangladesh.Ahead of the elections, the BJP had accused the former Trinamool Congress government of failing to allocate land for border fencing, even as the TMC had alleged that the Border Security Force was unable to prevent infiltration into the country.In September, the Union government had told states and Union Territories to set up detention centres “for the purpose of restricting the movement” of undocumented migrants till they are deported.The order was notified under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which was passed by the Parliament in April, replacing the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Immigration Carriers’ Liability Act, 2000.Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.Also read: In May crackdown on ‘foreigners’, only Bengali-origin Muslims sent to Assam detention centre
