The influx of illegal migrants has become a security problem and created fear among the genuine Muslim community in Nagaland, state Home Minister Y Patton said on Sunday.

“The issue of illegal migrants is no longer a humanitarian issue, but a security problem,” Patton told the annual Nagaland Muslim Students’ felicitation programme at Dimapur.

“The influx of illegal migrants has brought about a serious demographic change creating a sense of insecurity and apprehension amongst the indigenous people and the genuine Muslim community in Nagaland due to the fact that our culture, tradition, political identity, social fabric and the land has become under severe duress in the hands of the illegal foreigners,” he said.

The unguarded porous border had been used by anti-social elements as a safe corridor to carry out illegal activities tarnishing the image of the genuine citizens, he said.

“Despite the provisions of Bengal Eastern Frontier regulation Act 1873, popularly known as Inner Line Permit (ILP), there is unabated influx of illegal migrants in the North-East including Nagaland,” Patton said and urged the Muslim community of Dimapur to seriously ponder over the issue.

He said of late, Dimapur city, where many sections of people across the country were living, had become the nerve centre for all kinds of anti-social activities, a safe haven for criminal elements, gun runners and drug peddlers.

Stating that almost every secessionist organisations in the North-East have their base in Dimapur, he said it was the collective responsibility of every citizen to play proactive role in curbing the social menace so that the citizens of Nagaland could live in a peaceful atmosphere.

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