The West Bengal Government has directed district administrations across the state to begin setting up holding centres for apprehended foreign nationals and released foreign prisoners awaiting deportation or repatriation.In a communication issued by the Home and Hill Affairs Department to District Magistrates, authorities have been asked to initiate action for creating designated facilities in line with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dealing with illegal foreign nationals, including suspected Bangladeshi immigrants and the Rohingya.The letter specifically referred to procedures related to the deportation of “Bangladeshi or the Rohingya apprehended for staying illegally in this country”.“It is requested to take initiative and appropriate action for setting up holding centres in the district for apprehended foreigners as well as released foreign prisoners awaiting deportation or repatriation,” the communication said, citing the MHA guidelines.The move comes as state and Central agencies continue monitoring undocumented migration and the status of foreign nationals who remain in custody or under administrative watch after completing prison sentences or facing immigration-related proceedings.The MHA has, over the years, issued multiple advisories to states and union territories on identifying illegal immigrants, maintaining records of detained foreign nationals and speeding up deportation procedures through coordination with central agencies and foreign missions.The Centre had also earlier instructed states to ensure that foreign nationals are not released into the general population after completing jail terms if deportation formalities are still pending.Several states have already established detention or holding facilities for such cases. In Assam, detention centres linked to the NRC process and Foreigners Tribunals have remained politically and legally contentious for years. Similar drives targeting undocumented foreign nationals have also been carried out in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir under immigration and security-related regulations.The issue of undocumented migration, particularly involving alleged Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees, has remained a politically sensitive issue in eastern and northeastern states, including West Bengal and Assam.The Rohingya matter has also come up before the Supreme Court, where the Union government has maintained that illegal immigrants are governed by existing foreigner and immigration laws regardless of refugee status claims.