The Bangladesh Government has started the process of bringing back Bangladeshis staying illegally in countries like Japan, the USA, Australia and some countries in the European Union (EU), according to sources in the ministries of Home and Foreign Affairs. Till now, the Japanese government has sent back 24 Bangladeshis, who were staying illegally in Japan. The process of bringing back 158 Bangladeshis, staying illegally in the USA, has also been started, said the sources.
Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan told The Independent that Bangladeshis living abroad illegally will be brought back after verification of their identities if they have been detained for illegal activities in their country of residence. “The foreign Ministry is involved in this process and we are just verifying identities through police or other agencies,” he said.“We don’t have any option if the government of any country is trying to deport Bangladeshis for their illegal and unlawful activities and giving proof that they are our citizens,” Dr Khan added. Sources said the US Government has sent a list of 158 people, but this is being scrutinised by the Special Branch (SB) of Police for verification of their nationalities. The authorities concerned will ask the foreign ministry to take the necessary steps to bring back the Bangladeshis detained in the USA, the sources added. The US Department of Homeland Security, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Immigration Departments of the EU, Australia and Japan have recently sent lists of Bangladeshis living illegally in their respective countries to the Home and Foreign ministries. On Thursday, a high-powered US delegationled by Dr Sarah Sewall, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights of the US Department of State, and comprising Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, Alan Bersin, and US Ambassador in Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, met the Home Minister at his office and requested him to speed up the process of bringing the Bangladeshis back. Most of these people are under surveillance of intelligence agencies in the respective countries, the sources confided. Police verification is necessary because many Bangla-speaking people had migrated to these countries from India (West Bengal) and Myanmar (from the Rohingya community), but now they claim to be Bangladeshis, they added. According to sources, the countries, especially the USA, Australia and the European countries, have taken a decision to deport these people after the recent terror attacks.