United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka, Aprin, 28 (AP/UNB)--More than 100 immigrants suspected of being in the United States illegally were taken into custody early Sunday following a federal raid at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, authorities said. Video posted online by the Drug Enforcement Administration showed agents announcing their presence outside the building and ordering patrons to leave with their hands up. Other videos showed dozens of people fleeing the building through its entrance after federal agents smashed a window. Later, dozens of suspects were shown in handcuffs standing on a sidewalk waiting to be transported. Russia launches nearly 150 drones against Ukraine During his second stint as U.S. president, Donald Trump ’s unprecedented campaign of immigration enforcement has pushed the limits of executive power, and he has clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him. The crackdown has included detaining more than 1,000 international college students, some of whom have seen their legal status restored, at least temporarily. The policies have slowed immigration at the southern border to a relative trickle. On Sunday in Colorado, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the club-going immigrants into custody, said Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division. “Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today,” he said. The city, Colorado’s second largest, lies about 70 miles (113 kilometers) south of Denver. More than 300 law enforcement officers and officials from multiple agencies responded to the nightclub, which had been under investigation for several months for alleged activities including drug trafficking, prostitution and “crimes of violence,” Pullen said at a news conference. Cocaine was among the drugs found, he said.   “When the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor,” Pullen said.   END/UNB/AP/MA

President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport “millions and millions” of undocumented immigrants hinges on expanding detention facilities, but the U.S. faces significant logistical and financial challenges to achieve this goal. Currently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has a budget to detain about 41,000 people, far below the estimated 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates it costs approximately $165 per day to detain one adult, with more facilities needed to hold individuals during processing and deportation arrangements. Trump defends pardons for rioters and suggests Proud Boys could have place in politics A DHS memo estimates that expanding capacity by 110,000 beds under the recently passed Laken Riley Act would cost $26.9 billion. The act, named after a Georgia nursing student murdered by a Venezuelan man, mandates the detention of undocumented immigrants accused of theft or violent crimes. Trump’s immigration strategy also includes deploying troops to halt illegal border crossings, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport individuals from nations perceived as threats, and eliminating “catch and release,” a practice allowing migrants to await immigration proceedings outside of detention. Limited Capacity ICE relies on a network of government-run processing centers, private detention facilities, and local jails under contracts, but has no designated family detention centers, despite families making up one-third of arrivals at the southern border. Expanding detention capacity would require constructing new facilities, said John Sandweg, former acting ICE director under President Barack Obama. The Trump administration declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, leveraging military resources to support mass deportations and detention efforts. The Pentagon may provide air transport and additional detention space. Private companies such as GEO Group and CoreCivic are seeing rising stock prices, anticipating a detention infrastructure boom. Trump administration directs all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on leave Expansion Plans The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has identified potential detention facility expansions in at least eight states, including Leavenworth, Kansas, and areas near immigrant hubs like New York City and San Francisco. Detention providers are considering repurposing facilities previously used for immigrants, such as a tent complex in Carrizo Springs, Texas, and the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. According to Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s National Prison Project, the Trump administration aims to maximize detention capacity. However, she noted Congress controls funding, and military involvement raises concerns about its impact on readiness. Criticism of Militarization Immigrant advocates warn against creating a hyper-militarized system that could expand the world’s largest migrant detention infrastructure. ICE detention facilities have faced criticism for failing to meet federal care standards, according to a DHS inspector general report. Trump previously authorized military bases to house detained immigrants, a practice also utilized under the Obama administration during a surge of Central American migrants. Military facilities have historically been used for immigrant resettlement during crises, including for refugees from Vietnam, Cuba, and Afghanistan. The debate over Trump’s immigration plans is intensifying as advocates question their feasibility and potential humanitarian impacts.

A man and his daughter were killed and another one injured when a truck hit an auto-rickshaw in front of Dak Bungalow of Chasara in Narayanganj on Friday. The deceased were identified as Altaf Hossain, 45, and his daughter Beli 15, hailing from the Samvupura union of Sonargaon upazila. Read:35-yr-old biker killed in Sylhet road crash Beli, an immigrant in the US, arrived home 20 days ago to meet family and relatives. The accident happened when a brick-laden truck hit the victims’ auto-rickshaw when they were going to Sonargaon from Chashara this noon. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Narayanganj Sadar Model Police Station Mohammad Shah Jamal said they seized the truck and arrested its driver. Read: Biker killed, pillion rider injured in Dhaka road accident The bodies were sent to Narayanganj General Hospital for autopsies, the OC said. Legal action will be taken in this regard, the OC added.

A group of 18 stranded Bangladeshi migrants returned home from Lebanon on Friday. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in close coordination with the governments of Bangladesh and Lebanon, facilitated their return. The group reached Dhaka this morning. Prior to their departure, the migrants underwent a mandatory health check-up, including a RT-PCR test, in Lebanon. They were offered pre-departure transportation assistance and counselling services, and also screened for underlying protection vulnerabilities by IOM in Lebanon. Also read: Bangladesh top source country for migrants reaching EU via risky Meditarranean route  The Bangladeshi migrants were also provided with post-arrival reception assistance in this country and will also receive reintegration support.