Foreigners Tribunals in Assam can now detain illegal immigrants: Union home ministry

So far, detention of an illegal immigrant was done through executive orders.

The Foreigners Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body that determines if an individual is an illegal immigrant or a foreigner in Assam, has been given the power to detain a suspected non-citizen in a designated camp, according to the Union Home Ministry.

So far, detention of an illegal immigrant was done through executive orders.

The home ministry granted the power to Foreigners Tribunals through The Immigration and Foreigners Order, 2025.

The order, issued on Monday, replaces the Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 1964, and empowers Foreigners Tribunals to issue a detention order if a person whose nationality has been contested fails to appear in person.

Initially, 11 Illegal Migrant Determination Tribunals were established in Assam and these were later converted into tribunals after the Supreme Court scrapped the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983, in 2005.

Around 100 Foreigners Tribunals are currently operational in Assam.

With inputs from PTI