Saudi Arabia is deporting workers despites having a work permit issued by the kingdom, several Bangladeshi workers who have returned recently told Bangla Tribune.
These workers alleged their employers, too, did not step in when they faced deportation.
Recently, a number of workers have returned home amid the kingdom's crackdown on illegal workers.
Saudi Arabia has deported over 16,000 Bangladeshi workers in 2019 with the latest batch of 200 workers landed in Dhaka on Friday (Oct 25) night.
BRAC Migration Program, with the help of the Expatriate Welfare desk, provided emergency services to the migrants -- such as providing them food and water in airports and overseeing their safe returns at their abodes.
With the help of Wage Earners' Welfare Board (WEWB), BRAC has assisted about 804 workers in October, so far.
One of the deported workers, Akmot Ali of Kurigram said he still had 10 more months left in his visa.
"I called my employer after the Saudi police had detained me. But the employer did nothing to release me," Ali alleged.
Expressing anger at being deported, Samrat Sheikh of Gopalganj said he had five more months left in his visa.
The kingdom police detained him when he exited the mosques after offering prayer and arranged his deportation without even examining any documents, he added.
Saiful Islam, from Narayanganj, alleged that he was deported even though he showed the authorities his work permit.
"I went to Saudi Arabia nine months ago and my work permit was valid for six more months," he added.
Abdullah of Chittagong said he gave his employer SAR 8,000 to get a work permit.
"But the employer did not take any responsibility after he was arrested," he added.
All the returnees demanded that the government of Bangladesh take necessary measures in this regard so that no expatriates have to face a situation similar to this.
Shariful Hasan, Head of BRAC Migration Programme, said: “The recounts of the deported workers about the circumstances they were in are heart-wrenching.
“Before, many workers were deported as they did not have proper work permits; however, this time, the majority of them are saying that they were returned in spite of having legal documents.”
According to this NGO official, a lot of the workers had to return within a few months of leaving, as they could not raise the money needed to pay the recruiting agencies.
“The recruiting agencies must take responsibility for this mishap, as well as take precautions so that such incidents do not occur in the future,” Hasan said.