PM orders crackdown on illegals

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday directed the authorities concerned to crack down on foreigners living in the country illegally.

Law enforcers arrested at least 35 and deported 30 foreigners last month.

The directive came at the weekly cabinet meeting at the Secretariat after Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed drew the PM's attention to the matter that foreigners continued working at many garment units even after the expiry of their visas or work permits, cabinet sources told The Daily Star.

Hasina asked the minister to prepare a list of such foreign nationals living in the country and hand it to the home ministry for taking action.

She also ordered all other ministries and divisions to do so, according to the sources.

As many as 12,000 foreigners, mostly from African and South East Asian countries, have been overstaying their visas since 2000, according to the Special Branch of Police. 

any of them are getting involved in killing, mugging, illegal VoIP (voice over internet protocol) business, gold and dollar smuggling and drug trading.

According to the home ministry, 549 foreigners of 12 countries are languishing in different jails now. Of them, 76 are serving different jail terms while the trial of 393 others is underway.