8 Bangladeshis\\\' 4-yr voyage to \\\'dreamland\\\'

Eight Bangladeshi youths left the country for the United States about four years ago but they reached their ‘dreamland’ just a few days back after encountering immense difficulties on their way. They travelled through six other countries to reach the US only to be caught and sent to custody. Bangladeshi mime artist Kazi Mashhurul Huda said the eight arrived at Los Angeles on Thursday after securing bail from a San Diego court. They are Md Nefol Mia, Md Rubel Mia, Md Salek Mia, Musa Ahmed, Syed Nayeem and Sadequr Rahman of Beanibazar in Sylhet, Golam Maula of Comilla and Russell Ahmed of Noakhali.Huda said the eight Bangladeshis had decided to migrate to the US out of frustration because of different reasons including unemployment. They travelled through India, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Mexico. They reached Brazil from India three years ago and worked there. Then they paid human traffickers the money they had earned there to travel to the US. ‘From Brazil, they went to Venezuela, then Colombia and Panama. They were caught by police in Panama where they remained in custody for three months and were given a 10-day notice to leave the country,’ Huda said. The Bangladeshis reached Mexico with the help of human traffickers and then entered the US through San Diego border and sought political asylum. The immigration department kept them in custody for 13 days and later a San Diego court granted them bail. After the release, the Bangladeshis arrived in ‘Little Bangladesh’ in Los Angeles. Bangladeshi community has arranged their accommodation at a hotel there. Several attorneys said the Bangladeshis would have to appear before the New York immigration court. They said the migrants might get the permission to stay in the US if they could convince the court that Bangladesh was not safe for them and they would be subject to political harassment there, according to bdnews24.com.