US President Donald Trump’s new immigration policy has finally hit Bangladesh.
Media reports, citing the special branch of the police and the airport immigration authority, on Tuesday said that the United States has deported 31 Bangladeshi citizens as of April 20 under a US program to deport undocumented immigrants to their home countries.
Of them, 30 are men and one is a woman.The incident is undoubtedly worrying.
Although it has been said that people who remained in the United States despite losing immigration cases and were convicted in various cases are being forced to return to the country and the matter will not stop there.
As per Donald Trump’s policy, Bangladeshi students wishing to go to the United States to study will now face greater scrutiny.
Even students already in the country, some of whom have participated in the recent anti-Israel protests, will be forced to return home.
But the same executive order that initiated this process has also largely blocked the path to new US citizenship. In particular, naturalized citizenship is becoming increasingly difficult.
What is more worrying is that the Trump administration is implementing all these measures at a time when the United States is one of the pillars of Bangladesh’s economy and the single largest source of expatriate income.
Considering the contribution of expatriate income to economic activities, including foreign exchange reserves and imports, there is a high risk that the negative impact of Trump’s decision will be multifaceted.
If the US stops accepting refugees, Bangladesh is likely to suffer in other ways as well.
In particular, the previous US administration’s assurances that it would ease the burden of Rohingya refugees on Bangladesh will fade.
Indeed, this danger did not appear suddenly.
Donald Trump actually detailed this new immigration policy during his election campaign last year.
But has our government made proper preparations in this regard?
It is undoubtedly a matter of relief that Bangladeshi citizens, unlike citizens of many other countries, have not been sent back with iron bangles and iron bars on their hands or on military aircraft.
Approximately 117,000 immigrants are believed to have been deported to different countries during President Trump’s second term as of April 1.
We will certainly demand that the government provide legal assistance to all undocumented immigrants who have already returned to the country.
Counseling and financial assistance should also be provided if necessary.At the same time, we must also think about immediate remedial measures. Prevention is better than cure – who doesn’t know this!
