Govt takes steps to face new US immigration rules

The overseas employment authorities are closely working with the foreign ministry to face any possible affect on the employment of Bangladeshis abroad against the backdrop of stricter United States immigration rules.

"We are awaiting a positive US response to our call to exclude Bangladesh from the list of nations to face its stricter immigration rules. But we are also taking up necessary plans to face deportation cases, particularly from the United States," State Minister for Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Mohammed Quamrul Islam told BSS.

He added: "We have to keep in mind that there may be some adverse affects on the overseas employment sector for Bangladeshis, particularly the Bangladeshi expatriates living in United States."

The state minister, however, said Dhaka was hopeful that "undocumented Bangladeshis" in the United States would not face any deportation as expatriates from other countries already subjected to the stricter immigration rules were not facing any deportation.

"Moreover, Bangladeshis have good reputation as law-abiding and hard-working and their image might create a positive situation in the cases of deportation," Quamrul said.

In the business front, the readymade garments sector leaders said that they were taking measures for confidence building approach at the individual level for their buyers.

"We should take immediate approach at the individual levels to convince our buyers that Bangladesh is not a risk-prone country," Fazlul Azim, one of the founder leaders of BGMEA, told BSS.

He, however, cautioned against overplaying the consequence of the stricter US immigration monitoring policy "as it may create unnecessary panic among the businessmen in Bangladesh."

Azim said it seemed that Bangladesh might have to go a long way under the present condition because the United States entered into a new regime of immigration laws which was likely to be imposed gradually on many more countries.

Meanwhile, earlier reports said Bangladeshi expatriates in the United States decided to launch a signature campaign to pressurise the US administration to exclude Bangladesh from the terror-risk list.

They also decided to send letters and fax messages to US congressmen and senators for reconsidering the decision and providing legal aid to Bangladeshi immigrants.