Hundreds flee India migrant crackdown toward Bangladesh border

Hundreds of people have gathered at India's border with Bangladesh in West Bengal, police confirmed on Wednesday, after the state government ordered the construction of detention centers for undocumented Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya refugees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist BJP swept to power in West Bengal in early May on a hardline pledge to "detect, delete and deport" illegal migrants. The order has triggered visible anxiety and a rush toward the frontier.

What is driving the India migrant crackdown in West Bengal?

West Bengal's government last week ordered the establishment of "holding centers" for "apprehended foreigners," specifically naming Bangladeshis and Rohingya refugees. India's right wing has long argued that illegal migration poses a national security threat and is changing the demographic makeup of border states. The BJP's election win in May gave the party a mandate to act on those concerns.

What is happening at the India-Bangladesh border?

Indian police officer Shirshendu Pati, based at Swarupnagar Police Station roughly 10 kilometers from the Bangladesh border, said streams of people had been arriving since Tuesday. "People who say they are from Bangladesh and want to return home have been coming here since yesterday," Pati told AFP. He said around 200 people arrived on Tuesday, with a further 40 early on Wednesday.

Pati described the process as "peaceful and smooth so far." Those arriving are placed in a holding center while authorities verify their identities and complete paperwork. They are then handed to India's Border Security Force and sent to Bangladesh, with local administration providing food, water and lodging in the interim.

What has India's home minister said about illegal migration?

Home Minister Amit Shah announced the formation of a special committee on demographic change on Tuesday. "Illegal migration and other reasons for unnatural demography change are a big challenge for any country's present and future," Shah said. He described demographic change as a matter tied to national sovereignty, security, law and order, and social structure.

Senior BJP figures have previously described Bangladeshi migrants as "termites" and "infiltrators." Critics accuse the party of conflating religious identity with illegal migration status, arguing the rhetoric has deepened the marginalization of India's estimated 200 million Muslims. The crackdown has fueled particular unease among West Bengal's roughly 35 million Muslims, many of whom share linguistic and cultural ties with Bangladesh.

Why are Rohingya refugees included in the detention order?

The detention order's apparent inclusion of Rohingya refugees has drawn criticism from rights groups and observers. The Rohingya are a mainly Muslim group who fled Myanmar during a brutal military crackdown in 2017, and many are registered as refugees rather than illegal economic migrants. Their inclusion in a state-level deportation framework raises serious legal and humanitarian concerns.

Relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained since a 2024 revolution in Dhaka ended the rule of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a New Delhi ally who subsequently fled to India. The porous nature of the West Bengal-Bangladesh border and the region's long history of migration have made it a focal point of the crackdown. West Bengal's holding centres are now filling as that pressure becomes visible at the frontier.