Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday, January 18, announced that 14 foreign nationals were apprehended and pushed back from the state following a coordinated security operation. Sharing the development in a post on social media platform X, the Chief Minister said the operation was carried out in the early hours and involved individuals who had allegedly entered Assam illegally.” You may be hiding in plain sight, but we will hunt you down and expel you from India,” Sarma wrote, adding that those apprehended included both “fresh infiltrators” and individuals described as “experienced troublemakers.”
Reiterating the state government’s zero-tolerance policy towards illegal immigration, Sarma said such operations would continue as part of Assam’s broader security strategy. He stressed that protecting the state’s demographic balance, social harmony and internal security remains a top priority for his administration. The action comes amid intensified surveillance along Assam’s borders as well as interior areas, with security agencies maintaining round-the-clock vigilance to detect and prevent unlawful entry. Concluding his message, the Chief Minister said the government remains firmly “committed to a secure Assam.”