In May 2025, the arrest of a 75-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil refugee returning from India on charges of leaving the island without a valid passport drew attention. Sri Lankan authorities said they would address the issue. A total of 246 people from 46 families had returned from India to Sri Lanka between July 2025 and February 2026, with no arrests reported during the period, authorities subsequently pointed out. He also urged the governments of India and Tamil Nadu to refrain from using refugees as “a tool for political propaganda”. According to the letter, around 89,000 refugees reside in and outside camps across Tamil Nadu, with nearly 40% of them having been born in India.