39 more Bangladeshis deported from US

Thirty-nine more Bangladeshi nationals have been deported from the United States. They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 5:30 am on Friday (28 November) on a special US military flight.

Upon arrival, the returnees received emergency assistance and transportation support from BRAC through the airport authorities.

Of the 39 returnees, 26 are from Noakhali. Two each are from Cumilla, Sylhet, Feni, and Lakshmipur, while one each hails from Chattogram, Gazipur, Dhaka, Munshiganj, and Narsingdi. Earlier this year, the US administration deported 187 Bangladeshis.

According to BRAC’s Migration Programme, which interviewed the returnees, at least 34 of them had travelled to Brazil with clearance from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). They then attempted to enter the United States illegally via Mexico. Of the remaining five, two travelled directly to the US and three entered via South Africa. After they applied to remain in the United States, authorities decided to deport them following the completion of legal procedures.

Shariful Hasan, Associate Director of BRAC’s Migration and Youth Platform, said, “When the government approved sending workers legally to Brazil, was there any mechanism to ensure whether they were going to Brazil or to the United States? Who is responsible when each of them spends Tk 30 to 35 lakh and returns empty-handed? It is extremely unfortunate and irresponsible to allow workers to become ‘legal-to-illegal’ in this way. The agencies that sent them, and those involved in the approval process, must be held accountable. Thousands have gone to Brazil this way. The government must be cautious before allowing more workers to go to Brazil.”

According to the returnees and airport sources, unlike earlier deportation flights where Bangladeshis were returned in handcuffs and leg irons, no such restraints were used for this group.

On 8 June this year, 42 Bangladeshis were returned on a chartered flight. Between 6 March and 21 April, at least 34 more were repatriated on multiple flights. From the beginning of 2024 until August, more than 220 Bangladeshis have been deported from the United States.

Under US law, migrants without valid documents may be deported by court order or administrative directive. When asylum claims are denied, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arranges their repatriation.