Immigration Intelligence: Practices in Bangladesh

 Ministry of Home Affairs with its Immigration Wing, centrally coordinates  The Special Branch (SB) of Police is the functional unit in conducting the immigration services of Bangladesh.  No separate unit for immigration intelligence  The Special Branch (SB) is one of the prime intelligence agencies of Bangladesh headed by an Additional Inspector General (Addl. IGP) who comes from Bangladesh Police.

 The SB has around 64 district based offices, called District Special Branch (DSB) and also has offices in many Upazilla/Thana areas. This extensive establishment is a strength to immigration intelligence and to combat smuggling, trafficking and related transnational crimes in Bangladesh.  Immigration intelligence provides the basis to the Immigration Wing of SB with an effective means in preventing and detecting immigration related offences.

 Sources of information includes staffs of Special Branch and other intelligence agencies i.e. National Security Intelligence (NSI), Detective Branch (DB), as well as members of public.  Internal sharing of information among the intelligence agencies, i.e. National Security Intelligence (NSI), Detective Branch (DB) of police – is also a common practice.

 International Air Ports  Land Posts  Sea Posts  All the international air ports and sea port have already been digitalized, and most of land posts have also been digitalized.  Documents analysis center – in major ports.

 Screening in three stages: Entry Immigration Boarding

 The immigration intelligence needs a centrally digitalized information bank.  A centrally connected data base is at the final stage to facilitate the standard practices related to immigration.

 Immigration Intelligence of Bangladesh aims to screening individuals both incoming and outgoing.  Cracking down international and national crimes  Security Review: applicants who may pose a national security risk due to their involvement in terrorism and other crimes are screened  Organized Crime: Applicants who may have been involved in organized crime or other serious criminal activities are screened

 Immigration intelligence of Bangladesh is also involved in screening of both the outgoing and incoming individuals as Bangladesh’s commitment to international justice in coordination with INTERPOL.

 Bangladesh Passport Rules, 1974  The Passport Act, 1920  The Emigration Ordinance, 1982  The Foreigners Act, 1946  The Emigration Rules 2002  Recruiting Agent’s Conduct and License Rules 2002  Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000 (Act no. 8 of 2000)  A comprehensive rules to address the issue of immigration and related offences is in progress.

 Bangladesh shares its border with India and Myanmar.  Bangladesh does not have any formal Institutional arrangement with its neighbours – India and Myanmar to share immigration related information. However, the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force (BSF) of India has informal arrangement of sharing intelligence on case by case basis.  Recently, Bangladesh and India are working on devising a Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP). Vulnerable patches are determined to combat illegal trafficking in persons and related crimes.  Coordinated patrolling at the vulnerable patches could also be an effective measures in this regard.

 Consultation, Coordination and cooperation among the intelligence agencies is crucial in devising a functional immigration everywhere.  Theoretically bilateral/ multilateral initiatives of intelligence sharing could be an effective approach.  Developing practical measures, to prevent, intercept and disrupt people smuggling & trafficking and other transnational crime in the Asia Pacific region through a proactive Immigration Intelligence network, particularly in real time – is challenging.  Forum like Bali process could be an ideal platform to think about these challenges involved in the national, bilateral, and multilateral levels in sharing of intelligence.

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