US deports 36 Bangladeshis amid crackdown on illegal immigrants
The United States sent back 36 Bangladeshi nationals today.
They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around noon on a special US military flight, according to a press release issued by BRAC.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Among the 36 returnees, 21 are from Noakhali, two from Lakshmipur, and one each from Munshiganj, Dhaka, Lalmonirhat, Shariatpur, Barguna, Feni, Sirajganj, Gazipur, Kishoreganj, Tangail, Cumilla, Chattogram, and Netrokona. One of them is a woman.
BRAC learned that most of the 36 individuals had initially travelled to Brazil legally, with permission from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). Later, they traveled through Mexico and entered the United States illegally. They applied for asylum there, but after a lengthy legal process, their applications were rejected, resulting in their return.
The press release also said many of the returnees had spent huge amounts of money to pursue a better life abroad, and they returned empty-handed.
Returnee Zahidul Islam, from Noakhali, said he paid brokers nearly Tk 80 lakh, hoping to reach the US , while Sultana Akter from Gazipur said she paid Tk 30 lakh to brokers to cross the Mexico border through Brazil.
Other returnees spent Tk 50 to 60 lakh before coming back.
Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC’s Migration and Youth Platform, said that after arrival at Dhaka airport, returnees received transport and emergency support from BRAC with the help of the expatriates' welfare desk and aviation security.
Shariful added that agencies sending these workers and those involved in the permission process should be held accountable.
In 2025, 1,320 Bangladeshis went to Brazil with BMET approval, including 951 from Noakhali. It is believed that many tried to enter the US through Mexico.
Shariful urged the government to be more careful before allowing workers to go to Brazil.
After Donald Trump began his second term as US president, actions against illegal immigrants intensified, resulting in citizens of Bangladesh and other countries being sent back multiple times.
US law allows authorities to return people without valid documents to their home countries through court orders or administrative decisions.
When asylum applications are rejected, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement organises deportation.
Recently, this process has become faster, and chartered or military flights are being used. Some returnees have even been sent back with their hands and feet chained.
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