Photo credit: the Conversation
The police have been arresting African refugees living in Delhi for the past week or more.
Scrollin reports that refugees from Sudan, Yemen and Somalia are picked up, and after taking their biometrics, get sent to the infamous detention facility in Haryana called Lampur Seva Sadan.
Refugees say the police have been picking up the men while leaving the women and children. Meanwhile, most of the women don’t work, which leaves them vulnerable.
The refugees from Africa say they face racism daily. One woman from Somalia said that when they buy vegetables, they sell for higher prices, and they find it difficult to rent accommodations. Many refugees had found ways of getting false Aadhaar cards, which allowed them to send their children to school, to access banking services, receive money from their relatives abroad through Western Union and get licences for two-wheelers.
However, refugees are now unable to get Aadhaar cards. Under the new Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, hospitals and schools are obliged to report if any foreigner without a valid visa comes to their institution.
The police have also been visiting Vikaspuri and settlements around the area in Delhi, where there is a concentration of refugees from Myanmar. They have also barged into churches and threatened the refugees, but so far not arrested any.
