Illegal Immigrants in India: Paths, Pockets, Security Risks, and Institutional Weaknesses

Khushboo Verma, JadeTimes Staff

K. Verma is Jadetimes news reporter covering Asia

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Image Source: Deposit Photos

India has historically struggled to contain illegal immigration from surrounding countries, especially Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar (Rohingya). The flow of these immigrants is enormously important for national security, state economies, and social cohesion.

How Illegal Immigrants Enter India

Illegal aliens usually take advantage of India's permeable borders by using natural features and loopholes in border security. The most open border is the India-Bangladesh border, which has five Indian states—West Bengal, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Tripura—that share borders with Bangladesh. Rivers, marshes, and hilly routes make monitoring challenging, particularly on foggy or rainy days.

A report in Hindustan Times on January 27, 2025, "A perilous passage to India: How Bangladeshi immigrants cross the border," explained how Bangladeshis illegally cross the Dawki River in Meghalaya or similar waterways, shelling out agents ₹8,000 to ₹20,000 for the journey. The most affordable routes are crossing by wading through deadly alligator-ridden marshes.

The other commonly utilized route is via the hilly region of the Jaintia Hills. The Jaintia National Council (JNC) caught five suspected Bangladeshi nationals in East Jaintia Hills district as reported by a HUB News (April 25, 2025), who are accused of having entered India illegally with the assistance of local agents, referred to as dalals, who each demanded between ₹1,000 and ₹2,000.

Rohingya refugees escaping persecution in Myanmar tend to travel through Bangladesh, where they employ smugglers to guide them into India for a fee of between $98 and $400 per individual. Corruption of frontier security officers is said to be prevalent.

Acquiring Indian Papers: Systemic Vulnerabilities

One of the principal issues is the acquisition of Indian identification papers by illegal immigrants, which enables them to merge with local residents and claim government benefits.

A Times of India news item, "Forged IDs, a fake website, and an immigration racket: Gang that illegally helped Bangladeshis make India home busted in Delhi," revealed well-entrenched rackets that include document forgers, Aadhaar operators, and technical experts who produce spurious Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and ration cards. Delhi Police recently arrested such a network, which employed duplicate websites and gave temporary SIM cards and money to ease illegal immigration.

A few Indian government officials and touts have been discovered helping illegal immigrants obtain these documents, usually for a cost.

A report by Business Today (April 30, 2025) stated that Delhi Police have authenticated about 3,500 Pakistani citizens in the city. According to a senior police official, 520 Pakistani Muslims were located and 400 Pakistani illegal immigrants were sent back to Pakistan through the Atari border. The majority of them were short-term visa holders who had overstayed after the expiry of their visas.

Scale and Clusters of Illegal Immigration

Although it is hard to determine exact figures because of the secrecy of illegal migration, estimates are that there are millions of Bangladeshis and tens of thousands of Rohingyas and Pakistanis living illegally in India.

Bangladeshis: The largest number, with concentrations in West Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. In Uttar Pradesh, illegal Bangladeshis have been discovered living under false names in urban areas such as Mathura, Vrindavan, and Govardhan.

• Rohingyas: Predominantly found in Jammu, Hyderabad, Delhi, and West Bengal and Assam. They reside in slum clusters and refugee camps, many without proper documents.

• Pakistanis: Less in number but found in border states and large cities.

The flow of illegal immigrants grew during times of political unrest and economic recession in surrounding nations, with significant jumps following communal riots in Myanmar and financial crises in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Security and Economic Consequences

The existence of illegal immigrants creates a number of threats:

National Security: Illegal immigrants are typically associated with crime, such as drug trafficking and terrorism. The authorities have connected some clusters to separatist groups and terror financing networks. For example, illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants in Mathura have been identified as a major law and order threat because they take part in religious work and have connections with extremist groups.

Narcotics and Terrorism: Networks of smuggling that enable illegal inflow of people often also serve as channels for narcotics and weapons smuggling. Intelligence agencies have also pointed to illegal immigrants who enable terrorism and destabilize domestic security, particularly in border states of strategic concern. During 2024 alone, 200 kg of narcotics—such as heroin and poppy husk—was seized in June and July alone from places like Taran-Taran, Sangrur, Amritsar, Faridkot, and Gurdaspur.

Economic Consequences: Illegal immigrants rival locals for low-paying jobs, burden public services, and participate in the expansion of slums. West Bengal, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh states have all reported rising pressure on housing, healthcare, and education.

Separatist Financing and Risks to National Harmony

Extramural forces and separatist groups have been blamed for financing illegal immigrants in order to bring about demographic imbalances and social tensions. Intelligence reports indicate that part of the illegal immigrants are used as conduits of terror finance and are utilized to develop fissures within local communities, causing disunity and insecurity at the national level.

Budgetary and Structural Challenges

Several border states like Punjab, Kashmir, Bengal, and Bihar have either fallen or are likely to fall into the trap of state separatist movements. The national security and budget go hand in hand as the allocation of resources affects a country's capacity to guard its interests, defend its borders, and ensure internal stability.

Perceived Discrimination: When some areas feel underdeveloped in budget support towards development, infrastructure, education, or health, it can incite grievances and aspirations for separatism.

• Lack of Development: Under-investment in development and infrastructure can negatively impact economic growth and the quality of life and incite frustration and demands for more autonomy.

• Youth Unemployment and Narcotics: High rates of youth unemployment, making them susceptible to separatist movements and criminal organizations. During the Punjab insurgency, arms and narcotics smuggling was endemic, further destabilizing the country.

Key measures

• Military and Defense Spending: A considerable amount of capital is spent on defence, which is especially important in keeping armed forces and border posts in shape.

• Infrastructure and Border Security: Development of fence construction, surveillance technologies, and patrol forces is needed for illegal crossing prevention.

• Improved Security Measures: Strengthened assistance to state police and paramilitary forces in vulnerable border regions can deter secessionist activities.

• Intelligence and Counterterrorism: Intelligence agency funding allows for taking the initiative against internal and external threats.

• Cybersecurity: Budgetary allocations for cybersecurity are essential for safeguarding against digital threats, like during the 2020 farmer protests when misinformation was spread through fake social media handles. Although the recent example is the false social media handles, which favored Pakistani connect and criticized India's move during the, India-Pakistan border tensions after the Pahalgam attack. 

• Economic Stability and Skill Development: Investment in healthcare, education, and skill development can keep socio-economic disparities at bay and keep youth away from anti-national activities. In last year's budget, 1.4 crore youth were given skills, out of which approximately 54 lakh were provided with upskilling and reskilling.

As the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi once said, "If ₹1 is spent on a citizen, only 15 paisa reaches them." Structural reform and proper accountability of budget systems are needed to effectively overcome these challenges.

Illegal immigration from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar is a contentious and serious problem for India, having profound security, economic, and social consequences. The loophole in the system and lack of proper scrutiny, where there is no accountability on the illegal immigrants illegally residing in pockets, is creating an alarming disruption in the national and economic system of Bharat. Though the government has done much to solve the issue, institutional loopholes and tacit collusion at the local level still hinder the enforcement process. Illegal immigration's connection to narcotics and terrorism, in particular, necessitates strong border management, watchful law enforcement, and constant policy focus.