Amit Shah directs police chiefs to detect and deport illegal migrants

New Delhi, August 24, 2026 — Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed police chiefs across the country to detect and deport illegal migrants. Speaking at a meeting of state police heads, he called for strict measures against infiltration and treated the issue as a central internal-security task.

Shah emphasised the need for coordinated action between the Centre and the states. He asked the officers to use existing legal provisions and to strengthen border and inland surveillance. The directive follows repeated government statements that large-scale illegal migration alters demographic patterns and strains local resources in several border states.

State governments remain responsible for actual detection and deportation operations. The Home Ministry has previously pushed for better data sharing, biometric verification and faster processing of cases under the Foreigners Act and related laws.

Opposition parties have criticised the tone of such drives, arguing that they risk targeting genuine citizens and minorities. The government maintains that the focus is on those who have entered or stayed illegally and that due process will be followed.

The meeting also covered other internal-security subjects, including cyber threats and left-wing extremism. On the migration question the message from the Home Minister was unambiguous: identify, document and remove those without legal status.

Implementation will now rest with state police forces and the Foreigners Regional Registration Offices. Results will be measured by the number of detections and successful deportations in the coming months. For border states the operational load is expected to rise.