A number of 30 more Bangladeshi citizens were deported from the United States and flown back to Dhaka under heavy security -- chained in handcuffs and leg irons throughout the journey.
According to officials of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA), the chartered aircraft carrying them landed at HSIA at around 11:30pm on Thursday night.
The deportees were kept onboard for nearly three hours as shackles were removed before they were brought to the arrivals area around 2:00am, he added.
Airport security barred onlookers from approaching or photographing the group. Witnesses said the returnees looked exhausted.
Abdullah, a 22-year-old deportee from Noakhali, said, "We were chained like criminals throughout the 60-hour journey. It felt like we were treated as terrorists while returning to Bangladesh."
Several deportees alleged that they were given little more than bread and water during the trip, with toilet breaks strictly monitored.
A special team from the home ministry, intelligence agencies, and US embassy officials were present at the Dhaka airport. BRAC later extended financial assistance to help the deportees return to their homes.
Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC's Migration and Youth Platform, said, "People migrate seeking better lives but often fall prey to trafficking rackets charging Tk 30-75 lakh. While destination countries have the right to deport, chaining people for hours is extremely unfortunate and leaves them traumatised. We hope future repatriations are carried out more humanely."
Since Donald Trump's re-election as US president, deportations of undocumented migrants have intensified. At least 180 Bangladeshis have been sent back this year on multiple chartered and military flights.
