Staff Reporter :
About 391 Bangladeshis are living in an inhuman life in Mexico prison while trying to enter the United States illegally. But the Bangladesh government’s weak response may intensify their misery.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs have spent six months for bartering letters with each other for verification of their citizenship in order to bring them back.
However, the process has become stalled due to novel coronavirus pandemic, ministry of Home Affairs source said.
Sources said that the Mexico government sent a letter to Bangladesh Foreign Affairs ministry on June 2017 for taking back 391stranded Bangladeshis now in Mexico jail. Then in the middle of last year Mexico government sent another letter to Foreign Ministry for verification of their citizenship. After that two ministries exchanged letters various time over the issue without any decision.
To solve the problem, home ministry decided that a delegation will be sent there to set up a passport and visa wing. The delegations will verify the stranded people’s citizenship also.
Over the issue the ministry of Foreign Affairs officials blamed the home ministry and said, the issue is being stuck due to home ministry’s delay in sending the delegation. They further said, foreign ministry also approved a note to send a team to Mexico including the member from home ministry, SB, Detective Branches. That plan also failed.
A home ministry official anonymously said, the ministry couldn’t take a decision about the issue for the dissimilarities in their opinions. As the coronavirus pandemic have spread around the word, this issue now became less important.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Abdul Momen said, though they became poisoned as illegal migrants, we are trying to bring them back. There have arisen some complications over the issue. So, it will take few more time.
The Bangladeshis try illegally to enter USA, Europe or others development countries by the help of human trafficking gangs. For that they use inaccessible way. Mexico is that type of way as Bangladeshis illegal migrant workers use this way to enter the United States.
Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit’s (RMMRU) Executive Director Dr C R Abrar said, human trafficking is still continuing. The illegal migrants use Libya and Mexico route to enter Europe and America. Inaccessible way is the best choice for human trafficking gangs. A large number of illegal migrants vanish to cross the way.
He demands strict implementation of human trafficking laws.
