Illegal migration, trafficking pose threat to nations: Rijiju

Illegal migration, coupled with human trafficking, drugs, weapons smuggling cartels and hawala trade, pose serious threat to stability of nations, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said today.
In his opening address to the first ministerial meeting of the head of migration authorities of BRICS countries at Sochi in Russia, Rijiju said India is committed against illegal migration and will continue to take all steps to curb the same.
Maintaining that India does not have contentious migration issues with BRICS partners, Rijiju said this should facilitate freer travel of Indians to other BRICS countries through liberalised visa regimes.
The Union Minister said all BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- encounter serious problems related to illegal migration from the neighbouring countries, along with issues related to human trafficking and smuggling.

The issue is associated with the expansion of number of people located outside the legal framework, proliferation of organised crime, the growing corruption, child abuse and other types of exploitation of human beings.
"Not only this, human trafficking rackets have increasingly been in league with drugs and weapons smuggling and creates serious security breaches, along with illegal financial transfers in financing various illegal activities including terrorism, the Minister of State for Home said.

Underlying the positive impacts of migration, Rijiju pointed out the pressure posed by illegal migration on the labour market and social fabric.
He said large scale immigration leads to the fear of erosion of local culture, ethnic and religious unity of the receiving society.

As a result, there have been instances wherein the immigrants especially the illegal ones acted as an important destabilising factor for spreading ethnic tensions and violent riots.
"Sometimes these issues become highly emotive and threaten the basis fabric of society. India has witnessed large scale illegal migration and its impact on socio-economic and cultural fabric of the society," he said, according to an official release here.