From Illegal to Citizen? Nagaland, Take Note on Illegal Immigration

I. Introduction: A Borderless Concern. The recent eviction drives conducted by the Assam government against suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in areas such as Silsako and Dhalpur are not merely localised acts of law enforcement. They are symptomatic of a deeper crisis that spans the socio-political, cultural, and theological fabric of Northeast India. For Nagaland, whose porous borders and administrative inertia have long facilitated demographic ambiguity, Assam's bold action serves as both a warning shot and a wake-up call. The unsettling question lingers: Are today’s illegal immigrants tomorrow’s citizens?

This article contends that unless Nagaland critically addresses the silent encroachment of illegal immigration with moral clarity, legal decisiveness, and communal vigilance, it risks surrendering its identity, its land, and eventually its future.

II. Assam's Action: A Case in Urgency and Enforcement

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government has been consistent and unapologetic in its campaign against illegal encroachment. Backed by satellite imagery, district records, and police intelligence, the administration has bulldozed unauthorised settlements that were mushrooming under political, communal, and even religious cover.

This initiative, although not without controversy, signals a critical principle: the sovereignty of land and law must be defended before it is eroded beyond repair. Assam’s state machinery is effectively asserting its jurisdiction, thereby controlling not only its borders but also its demographic destiny.

The question for Nagaland is this: can we afford to remain silent spectators when the same undercurrents threaten our villages, markets, and even churches?

III. Nagaland’s Vulnerable Position: Culture without Walls

Nagaland, unlike Assam, lacks a coherent, coordinated response to illegal immigration. Despite the presence of the Inner Line Permit (ILP), illegal immigrants, primarily of Bangladeshi origin, have increasingly found shelter in peri-urban pockets, unregulated colonies, and construction sites. They have integrated into economic niches such as:

•           Labor markets in construction and agriculture

•           Informal businesses such as roadside stalls and meat vending

•           Religious cover, often using conversion or pseudo-Christian identities to gain acceptance

This unholy trinity, economic utility, administrative loopholes, and religious masking, has allowed illegal settlers to quietly but firmly embed themselves within Naga society.

More dangerously, some communities have turned a blind eye, even offering land for lease in exchange for short-term economic gain. What remains hidden is the long-term cultural cost. Identity, like land, once lost, is rarely reclaimed without conflict.

IV. Theological Reflection: Stewardship and Stranger

The Bible offers a nuanced view of the "stranger" or foreigner. While hospitality is a Christian virtue, so too is the concept of covenantal stewardship. Israel was repeatedly warned not to sell its land permanently, for “the land is Mine” (Leviticus 25:23). The land, in biblical theology, is not merely a geographic resource but a divine inheritance entrusted to a people with moral responsibility.

When illegal immigration is baptized under false theological notions of unconditional acceptance, it misrepresents both grace and justice. Compassion must never become a cover for corruption. The Naga church, often vocal on social issues, must clarify the distinction between loving the stranger and legitimizing lawlessness. Inaction is not neutrality; it is silent complicity.

V. The Politics of Silence: Why Leaders Must Speak

It is one of the ironies of Naga political life that leaders speak loudly on tribal quotas, clan disputes, and infrastructure projects but remain embarrassingly silent on illegal immigration. The reasons are varied:

·         Vote-bank politics: fear of alienating potential supporters or destabilising alliances.

·         Moral confusion: lack of clarity on the ethical balance between compassion and legality.

·         Cultural fatigue: the myth that Naga identity is resilient enough to absorb outsiders.

But identity is not indestructible. It is not maintained by nostalgia but by vigilance. Political leadership that refuses to safeguard demographic sovereignty is derelict in duty and dishonest in purpose.

Nagaland must consider establishing a demographic audit commission and mandating land-ownership verification through village councils, student bodies, and municipal authorities.

VI. Civil Society and Youth: Agents of Awareness

If the government is slow to act, civil society must become the front line of defense. The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), tribal hohos, women’s groups, and academic institutions must:

·         Educate local communities on the long-term risks of unchecked immigration.

·         Report suspicious settlements or undocumented labor to district authorities.

·         Promote ethical business practices that do not employ undocumented migrants.

·         Engage in policy advocacy, pushing the state for legislative clarity on land and identity.

Youth, in particular, must rise above the distractions of social media and tribal consumerism and reclaim the role of guardians of heritage and geography.

VII. Comparative Lessons: Learning from Assam and Beyond

What Assam is currently doing echoes global precedents. Countries like Japan, Israel, and even Bhutan have enforced strict national identity and land ownership laws to protect cultural integrity. Their models are not perfect, but they recognize one truth: demographic dilution leads to political disintegration.

Assam’s eviction drive is not merely administrative, it is civilizational. It reflects a society willing to make tough choices to preserve its coherence. Nagaland must not wait until such action becomes impossible without conflict.

VIII. Conclusion: The Moral Cost of Delay

History is replete with examples of civilizations that collapsed not by war, but by silent infiltration and cultural compromise. Illegal immigration is not merely an economic or humanitarian issue, it is an existential threat to small, landlocked, tribal societies like Nagaland.

We must not allow temporary laborers to become permanent settlers, or strangers to become citizens by stealth. Every illegal vote, undocumented plot, or unscreened conversion is a chisel at the foundation of Naga identity. Nagaland, take note, Assam has acted. Will we only react when it’s too late.

Vikiho Kiba

(The writer is a doctoral researcher in Systematic Theology and Philosophy, focusing on ethics, public theology, and socio-political analysis. He writes regularly on cultural transformation, identity, and theology in public life.)