A group of 39 Bangladeshi citizens, including a woman, were deported from the United States and arrived in Dhaka on Saturday. According to officials at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the individuals were transported on a C-17 US military aircraft.  Bangladesh’s leading daily, the Dhaka Tribune, reported that some of the deportees claimed they were handcuffed throughout the flight.

Shariful Hasan, Associate Director of Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) Migration Programme and Youth Platform, explained that many of the deported individuals had either sold family assets or borrowed heavily, often up to 30-40 lakh Taka, to reach the United States through irregular channels, passing through Mexico and South America.

They had applied for asylum upon their arrival in the US. However, their requests were denied by immigration officials and the courts, leading to the decision to deport them, Mr Hasan said.

The move is part of a wider crackdown by the US immigration authorities.