Indians are still reading and hearing a lot about Bangladeshi illegal immigrants. The issue of a National Register of Citizens has now been raised even in the Maharashtra and Haryana assembly election campaigns. Interestingly, Bangladeshi media is also covering the illegal immigrants’ issue. The coverage there, however, relates to illegal Indian immigrants in Bangladesh.
A Bengali-language daily Bangladesh Pratidin in one of its reports on 29 September says that there are as many as five lakh Bihari, Hindi-speaking, people living illegally in Bangladesh. The newspaper has expressed a worrying concern that the number of illegal immigrants in Bangladesh is swelling day by day. The same report also mentions that the total number of illegal immigrants living in Bangladesh is more than 10 lakh people.
The same story quotes Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, a criminologist and professor at Dhaka University, as saying that there should be a dedicated agency to monitor illegal immigrants in Bangladesh. He adds that if this problem is left unchecked, then it may cause a grave threat to national security. Does this sound familiar?
A recent report in Obhijatra, another Bangladeshi news portal, argues that illegal immigrants are a huge burden for Bangladesh’s economy. The report identifies Pakistan, India and Nigeria as some of the major countries from where illegal immigrants come into Bangladesh.
Prothom Alo reports that in a recent raid on illegal immigrants, the Dhaka City police nabbed 31 foreigners, who failed to produce their travel documents. All of them were from African countries. The report says that illegal immigrants are a big nuisance and are often responsible for crimes in the city.
Samakal reports that Bangladesh has failed to maintain a record of illegal immigrants. The Bengali-language daily reports that many foreigners are entering Bangladesh on a tourist visa who then end up staying back indefinitely. It further says that though these immigrants earn here, they do not pay any taxes.
Also read: Bangladesh’s high GDP a fitting reply to Amit Shah’s ‘termite’ taunt at illegal immigrants
No official numbers
Neither India nor Bangladesh have any official data on illegal immigrants yet. The Indian government has time and again reiterated that the country lacks an official database of illegal immigrants.
To an unstarred question asked in the Lok Sabha on the status of illegal immigrants in the country, the Narendra Modi government replied in July: “Accurate data regarding number of such immigrants living in the country is not available.”
In 2018, the Indian government deported only 1,731 “foreigners” to various countries. However, there is no such similar data available for deportations from Bangladesh.
Immigrations generally take place for either economic reasons or due to compulsions arising from persecutions. It appears that Bangladesh has crossed the economic threshold, and people from poorer countries are migrating there in large numbers.
As Bangladesh’s manufacturing-based economy is booming and GDP growth rate is fairly higher than other developing Asian economies, it is leading to the creation of many low-skilled jobs there.
As far as estimated data for remittances is concerned, Indians in Bangladesh sent more than $126,000,000 back home in 2017, while Bangladesh got $4,033,000,000 in remittances from India the same year.
Also read: Why India of today looks more like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Israel
Illegal immigrants not a political issue there
Although the debate about illegal immigrants is finding resonance in the Bangladeshi media and the public sphere, it has not become a political issue yet.
New York-based Bangladeshi journalist Syeda Samira Sadeque wrote in 2014 that the events unfolding in India regarding Bangladeshi illegal immigrants can have serious repercussions for Bangladesh. In an article for Scroll, she argued: “The BJP’s rhetoric (on NRC) is bad news for those who champion secularism in Bangladesh.”
She quotes from a post in a Bangladeshi English daily that read: “What the Indian political establishments apparently do not realise that such election-time political rhetoric by people like Subramanian (Swamy) could give rise to communalistic reaction on this side of the border.”
Also read: Not just Mexicans, more and more Indians are entering Donald Trump’s US illegally
Indian illegal immigrants a global phenomenon
Mexico has just sent back 311 Indians who were trying to enter the US illegally. These immigrants were allegedly duped by agents who promised them safe passage to the US, and charged them a staggering Rs 25-30 lakh per person. None of them had any travel documents or visa for entering Mexico or the US. Mexico has in recent months stepped up action against illegal immigrants, after giving in to pressure from the US.
Indian illegal immigrants are making news in many parts of the globe. Recently Wall Street Journal reported, citing data gathered by Pew Research Center, that India has become the “fastest-growing source of new illegal immigrants to the US”.
As far as the absolute numbers are concerned, India lags behind Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala, but is still catching up fast. The WSJ report also mentioned that there were as many as five lakh “unauthorised Indian immigrants” living in the US in 2014.
Indians sneaking in illegally to the US or Europe is not a new phenomenon. But this grabs headlines mostly in cases of tragic incidents like the 1996 Malta boat tragedy, when 283 youths, mostly Punjabis, while trying to reach Italy illegally, died after their ship capsized in the Mediterranean sea.
In June this year, a 6-year-old Indian girl was found dead by the US Border Patrol agents at the US-Mexico border. The girl’s family along with a few others were trying to cross the US border illegally with the help of “smugglers”.
So, while we repeatedly rake up the issue of illegal immigrants in India, we must also realise that India and Indians are also under heavy scrutiny abroad. And not only in the US, Canada and in the Europe, but also in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Bangladesh should throw out all Indians from their country and they should take back all Bangladeshis from India. Problems solved.
What if all Indian kicked-out all Countries around the world?
Very good.
996% rise in Indians seeking political asylum in past 10 years
These are Indians who have requested other countries to grant them political asylum on the grounds that they feel fearful to continue living in India.
I sent a response on the so-called Bangladeshi infiltrator issue and the benefit Indian workers derive from Bangladesh and other Muslim countries., 15 minutes ago. But you did not publish it and did not show any reason why it was not published.
Are you also afraid of the Amit Shah-Modi reaction?
In Bangladesh, there are about 1.5 million illegal Indians working in different sectors of the economy, thanks to the government’s very ‘friendly’ and lenient policies towards India. Many Bengali speaking Indians are working even in the police and other government agencies under false identities. They send about US$ 10 billion per year from Bangladesh to India. Yet the BJP president and minister Amit Shah and other Indian leaders are spreading poisonous propaganda and hatred about the so-called Bangladeshi infiltrators and ‘termites’. The people of Bangladesh have been very patient and tolerant, but there is a limit to everything. Indian rulers should show some respect to the dignity and sensibilities of the people of Bangladesh and must refrain from hurting them any more.
And stop Muslim bashing too. More than 10 million Indians work legally (with millions more working illegally) in different Muslim countries and send home about US$ 80 billion per year to boost the Indian economy. Amit Shah should not bite the hands that feed millions of poor people in his country.
Try being an illegal in Arab countries and claim you are a Muslim. Do not expect any mercy from the Arabs.
“As far as estimated data for remittances is concerned, Indians in Bangladesh sent more than $126,000,000 back home in 2017, while Bangladesh got $4,033,000,000 in remittances from India the same year.“! This is an important part of whole story, Bangladeshi is sending 400 times more money to Bangladesh from India. That should help you estimate the illegal Bangladeshi in India is, 100s of times more then Indian in Bangladesh. Take back both countries
I live in Europe and most of the illegal immigrants who try to come here and the US are from Punjab. these peasants from Punjab are termites who give india a bad name.
By that logic, India should open its borders to Bangladeshis, both poor countries.
What if all Indian kicked-out all Countries around the world?
Mr. Gopal, know about Bangladesh and it’s current economy first
these Biharis are all East Pakistanis and Pakistan refused to take them back. Bangladesh realised under Modi and Amit Shah, their export of illegal emigrants to India project is in trouble. So they are making some stupid stories.
Enough you ignorant lying cheat. You overproud rendians are real cause for the degrading world
Changing a Hindu name does not make your argument more acceptable.
Neither does being a bhakt and flaunting one’s bigotry
Hi, when you write an article in English please ensure that you use the correct terminology. A lakh doesn’t mean anything to an English speaker and it was quite annoying to see it used so frequently.
It probably isn’t a big deal to most of y9ur readers but if someone who isn’t from the region reads this they will have the same reaction as me.
Rubbish, there are at conservative estimates, 20 million Bangladeshi infiltrators in India, actual number may be three times more, 15 lakh Bangladeshis have infiltrated into Karnataka and Kerala alone. Indian hospitals are swarming with Bangladeshi patients and recently Karnataka police found 20 modules of JMB Islamic militants had been setup right under their nose, almost all recycling and rag picking is done by Bangladeshis in Bangalore, this is a known fact. Bangladeshis have brought drug resistant TB, Malaria, and Cholera to Karnataka after it was eliminated. Dengue was also introduced to the Indian subcontinent through Bengal and Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s Ganges delta is the source for drug resistant cholera and cholera originated in Bengal. Bangalore exported 70 billion dollars worth of software in 2019, More than three times Bangladesh’s entire exports, and this is one city in India. Indian government must take strict measures to deport and stop Bangladeshis from bribing border guards and entering India informally, this will destroy India’s culture. A country that cannot police its borders is doomed forever
Where did you find those numbers? Don’t speak rubbish. Bangladesh was independent in 1971, and you are saying 15 million Bangladeshi entered into India. That means after 1971 actually 15 million Bangladeshi people entered into India. Does it make any sense? If it’s true then all BSF members should commit suicide. And learn about Bangladesh’s population and export amount again then talk with some sense. Arrogant neighbor. Worst than British people.
This should induce a sense of humility. Also to a more civil discourse. All over the world, people move to improve their lives. One is waiting anxiously for the day when members of the Indian diaspora will be tempted to return, take advantage of the fantastic opportunities that are opening up.
I wish that all countries Including USA shold keep their citizens who are living there since 1000 years and send back all migrants to their respective countries. Further DNA profile is to be taken and migrants from Europe is also to be sent back from India
Those are Muslims from bihar who chose Pak during partition and went to today’s bangladesh