India, July 9 -- Over 36,000 people have been declared foreigners in the five years since 2021, and only 196 of them have been repatriated to Bangladesh so far, the Assembly was informed on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a query by Congress MLA Mohibur Rohman, Border Protection and Development Minister Atul Bora said a total of 36,358 persons have been declared foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunals (FTs) since 2021 to May 2026. "Out of them, 196 people have been repatriated to Bangladesh from Assam," he added. Giving year-wise breakups, Bora said 7,151 foreigners were declared in 2021, followed by 9,028 in 2022, 6,859 in 2023, 6,178 in 2024, 5,106 in 2025 and 2036 in 2026 so far.

As per legal provisions, only the Foreigners Tribunals...