Staff Reporter :
The United Kingdom has begun deporting undocumented Bangladeshi migrants, following similar measures by the United States.
A special charter flight returned 15 Bangladeshis accused of violating immigration laws on Friday.
Flight HFM851 departed from London’s Stansted Airport at 9 pm local time on Thursday and, after a stopover in Islamabad, landed in Dhaka at 2:10 pm Friday.
According to the Consular Section of the Bangladesh High Commission in London, travel permits were issued for the returnees.
Some held valid passports, while others’ passports had expired. Among those deported were both men and women.
Passenger records show that the deportees were originally from Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Chattogram, Noakhali, and Dhaka.
At least six had no profession listed, while others were employed as waiters or were students in the UK. UK immigration authorities have recently tightened measures against illegal migrants, coordinating with the Bangladesh government to carry out the deportations.
A Foreign Ministry official in Dhaka told the media that many Bangladeshis overstay their visas and remain illegally.
“The UK is taking steps based on its own laws, and deportation is part of that process,” the official said.
