Another 44 Bangladeshis who travelled to Europe through irregular channels or without proper documentation have been sent back home. Of them, 40 returned from Greece and four from Cyprus.
According to immigration police and airport sources, the returnees arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 9:15am on Wednesday on a special chartered flight (N05542).
At the airport, Brac's Migration Program, with support from Civil Aviation Security and the Probashi Kallyan Desk (Expatriates' Welfare Desk), provided the returnees with emergency assistance, counselling and financial support to help them reach their respective homes.
Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Probashi Kallyan Desk were also present.
Shariful Hasan, associate director of Brac's Migration Program and Youth Platform, confirmed that 44 Bangladeshis returned from Europe on Wednesday morning.
He said they received food and financial assistance at the airport under the Protyasha-2 project, jointly funded by the European Union (EU) and Brac. They will also receive further counselling, training and financial support.
Shariful Hasan said Bangladeshis had long topped the list of people entering Italy from Libya by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. According to this year's data, Bangladeshis also rank first among those entering Greece from Libya through the Mediterranean.
He warned that such dangerous sea journeys frequently result in loss of life, while European countries are tightening restrictions on irregular migration.
Under new migration policies, people entering Europe through irregular channels are being sent back promptly, with their asylum applications rejected, he said.
"Even after spending Tk30-40 lakh, the outcome is effectively zero. Yet many people believe that simply reaching Europe by any means necessary will solve all their problems. This misconception must be dispelled," he added.
Shariful Hasan also said one of the returnees had previously used TikTok to encourage others to travel from Bangladesh to Europe through irregular channels.
He urged prospective migrants to exercise caution, avoid dangerous sea routes and acquire the necessary skills to migrate through legal channels.
Earlier, on October 23, Brac reported that another 35 Bangladeshis had been sent back from Italy and Greece on a special flight.
In 2017, the Bangladesh government signed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) agreement with several European countries concerning the return of undocumented and irregular Bangladeshi migrants.
Under the framework, around 5,000 Bangladeshis have returned home so far, many of them from Cyprus, Italy, Romania, France, Greece and Malta.
Shariful Hasan said the largest groups of Bangladeshis returning from Europe in recent years came from Italy, Greece and Germany.
Upon arrival, returnees receive emergency assistance and counselling at the airport, followed by economic support to help them rebuild their lives, he said.
He added that awareness campaigns were being conducted across the country to discourage risky migration, while European countries had also begun efforts to recruit Bangladeshi workers through legal and formal channels.
