US Bangladeshis fear for future

The new rules have led to protests from immigrants

By Salim Rizvi in New York

The inclusion of Bangladesh on the list of countries whose nationals are required to register under new US immigration rules has left the Bangladeshi community in America in a state of shock and disbelief.

We are disturbed and shocked at this decision of the US

Bangladeshi Consul in New York Rafiq Khan

Under the new regulations, nationals or citizens of all listed countries who are male and above 16 years of age have to register with the authorities.

They are fingerprinted, photographed and interrogated under oath.

They are asked questions about their contacts in the US and also about the reasons for their arrival in the US and their departure plans.

The US Government insists that this is a necessary step to check the infiltration of terrorists and their activities in America.

Earning a living

In New York, there are large numbers of Bangladeshi immigrants, engaged mainly in running businesses, both small and large.

They range from small street-corner grocery stores to stylish Manhattan restaurants.

A good number of these immigrants also drive taxis to earn a livelihood.

All males over 16 have to register

Bangladeshis come to the United States under different visa categories - student visas, work visas or tourist visas.

Other Bangladeshis qualify for immigration to the US under a diversity programme which is part of American immigration policy.

Facing uncertainty

With the new regulations these immigrants - who try to escape poverty, poor health, malnutrition and also political persecution back home - are faced with a new set of problems in the United States.

They are worried about their future, and immigrants have started to flood the offices of lawyers, preparing for the worst.

There are some illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, who are the sole bread earners for their families.

They face almost certain detention or deportation by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) for violating visa regulations.

Bangladeshis like Sunny come to work for a better life

But this controversial immigration requirement has also sparked disquiet among the large Bangladeshi student community in the United States.

Students are worried at the prospect of standing in line for registration in front of the INS office in downtown Manhattan.

Najmul is a Bangladeshi student studying in a business school in New York. "I don't know what will happen when I go to register in the INS," he says.

Economic ruin

Immigrants are quite wary of talking to anyone, but those who have permanent visas can afford to speak.

Sunny hails from Dhaka and runs a small music shop in the Jackson Heights area of Queens, New York.

He has just got a green card from the INS, but he fears for fellow Bangladeshis who do not have valid papers to stay and work in the US.

He says: "Bangladeshis come here to work and earn money to make their life better, and they will prefer to go to jail than be deported back to Bangladesh. This special registration rule will ruin them economically"

This is true for a lot of immigrants.

They do not want to be sent back to their countries if arrested for visa violations. They are ready to pay off fines and stay in the US.

The new regulations have been criticised by civil rights organisations and there have been protests and demonstrations.

They call it a new wave of racial discrimination in the United States of America.