Forty-four Bangladeshis who reached Europe through irregular routes have been deported from Greece and Cyprus and returned to Dhaka.
Forty of them came from Greece and four from Cyprus. One of the returnees is a woman. They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a chartered flight at around 9:15 am on Wednesday, according to immigration police and airport sources.
BRAC's Migration Programme, with support from Civil Aviation Security and the Expatriates' Welfare Desk, gave the returnees emergency aid, counseling and money to help them get home.
The returnees will also receive food and financial help under the Prottasha-2 project, which is jointly funded by the European Union and BRAC. They will get further counseling, training and support to rebuild their livelihoods.
BRAC's Shariful Hasan said Bangladeshis lead irregular crossings of the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy and, this year, to Greece. He said these journeys often end in deaths at sea.
He said European countries are tightening their migration policies, so people who enter irregularly are being sent back quickly and their asylum applications are rejected. Migrants reportedly pay Tk 30 lakh to Tk 40 lakh for the journey and often end up with nothing.
Shariful Hasan said one returnee had encouraged others on TikTok to travel irregularly. He urged would-be migrants to understand the risks, avoid dangerous sea crossings and choose legal channels and skills training instead.
A separate group of 35 Bangladeshis returned from Italy and Greece on Oct. 23.
