West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari-led government has moved ahead on its election promise to “detect, delete and deport” illegal foreigners and directed all district magistrates to set up “holding centres” for illegal immigrants taken into custody before their deportation, a move that bears similarities to US President Donald Trump’s election campaign pledge to deport millions of people. Immigration played a major role in Trump’s 2024 election victory and has remained one of his defining political issues. (PTI/AFP) Notably, the BJP made illegal infiltration one of its main campaign issues during the recently concluded assembly elections. Similarly, during his campaign, Trump had promised what he described as the largest mass deportation drive of undocumented migrants in US history. Bengal BJP government’s move against ‘illegal foreigners’ A directive issued by the foreigners’ branch under the state’s home and hill affairs department on May 23 asked district magistrates to build the required facilities to accommodate “apprehended foreigners” and “released foreign prisoners” until the process of deportation is completed. It comes shortly after the chief minister announced that …