The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has voiced serious concerns over India’s recent deportations of Rohingya refugees and Bengali-speaking Muslims, warning that such actions breach international law and undermine religious freedoms.
According to the commission, Indian authorities expelled at least 40 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar in May, placing them at severe risk and reportedly forcing some to undertake hazardous journeys by sea. Human rights organizations claim the expulsions have continued in the months since, with hundreds of Bengali-speaking Muslims also being sent to Bangladesh many without any form of legal proceedings.
The United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, has launched an inquiry into the deportation of the Rohingya group, describing the incident as “unconscionable” and unacceptable under international standards.
Human Rights Watch reports that at least 192 Rohingya refugees registered with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) were removed from India. Border officials in Bangladesh estimate that more than 1,500 Muslims men, women, and children have been expelled from India between early May and mid-June, including roughly 100 Rohingya.
USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler condemned the deportations, saying they violate the international principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face potential persecution. “India must halt these removals and end the detention of vulnerable refugees,” she said in a statement on Friday.
While India has housed thousands of Rohingya refugees since 2017, it does not formally recognize them as refugees under its Foreigners Act. Many Bengali-speaking Muslims, particularly in Assam, have been labeled “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh part of the broader implementation of the controversial National Register of Citizens (NRC).
USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck criticized the policy framework, arguing that it effectively targets individuals based on their religion. “Requiring Muslims to prove their citizenship violates India’s commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” he said.
In its latest report for 2025, USCIRF has urged the U.S. State Department to designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing ongoing and severe violations of religious liberty. Indian officials, however, have consistently dismissed such recommendations, calling them biased and unwarranted interference in the country’s internal matters.
