39 more Bangladeshi migrants deported from US

Amid the ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigration, the United States has sent back another 39 Bangladeshis nationals.

They arrived in Dhaka on a special US military flight around 5:30am on Friday, according to officials. After landing, Brac provided them with transportation and emergency support through the airport authorities.

Of the returnees, 26 are from Noakhali. The rest include two each from Cumilla, Sylhet, Feni and Lakshmipur and one each from Chattogram, Gazipur, Dhaka, Munshiganj and Narsingdi.

According to BRAC's Migration Programme, at least 34 of the 39 migrants had travelled to Brazil with clearance from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

From Brazil, they made it to Mexico, and then entered US without documents. Of the remaining five, two travelled directly to the US and three entered from South Africa. After applying to stay, US authorities completed legal procedures before ordering their return. In a statement, BRAC said that prior to the arrival of the latest group, 187 Bangladeshis had been deported from the US so far this year.

Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC's Migration Programme and the BRAC Youth platform, said each migrant had spent between Tk 3 million and Tk 3.5 million in their attempt to reach the US. "The agencies that sent them and those involved in approving these processes must be held accountable. Several thousand workers have gone to Brazil this way. The government must be cautious before allowing more workers to go to Brazil," he added.

The US has stepped up the deportation of undocumented migrants from several countries, including Bangladesh.

Under US law, migrants without valid paperwork can be repatriated following a court ruling or administrative order. Asylum seekers whose applications are denied are deported by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.