Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Thursday said the latest decision taken by the US administration against Bangladesh, among a group of countries, is very unfortunate and even hurtful, but not unusual given ongoing immigration-related issues.

“This decision has not been imposed on Bangladesh alone. Bangladesh is among the countries facing immigration-related problems. To me, it is nothing abnormal, certainly unfortunate. It hurts us,” he told reporters while responding to a question at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Adviser Hossain said the issue, which is policy-related, has been continuing for a long time, but this government has raised its voice against irregular migration since day one.

“The only solution is to stop irregular migration,” he said, adding that news reports still frequently mention deaths during dangerous crossings, including people dying while attempting to cross the Mediterranean or being rescued from drowning.

The Foreign Adviser said, “You have seen the American strategy - the largest number of Bangladeshis are among those who take money from their social system there.”

He said if restrictions are imposed on some countries and Bangladesh is among them, it does not seem unusual to him. “Of course, it is sad. Of course, it is painful for us, but it is not unusual. If everyone had gone in the last one year, I would have said that we are responsible.”

He said this system has been in place for a long time. “So if responsibility is assumed to lie with someone politically, it rests with all previous governments. We have not been able to change it, and it is not possible to change it overnight.”

The administration of US President Donald Trump has added 25 more countries, including Bangladesh, to a list of nations whose citizens may be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for entry into the United States.

When asked whether the government would take steps to stop the imposition of visa bonds, the Adviser said, “It has just happened. We will follow the normal procedure. We will try to get exempted.”

According to the US State Department website, any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. The bond amount will be determined at the time of the visa interview.

Applicants must agree to the bond terms through the US Treasury Department’s online payment platform, Pay.gov, the State Department said.

The list mostly includes countries from Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, bringing the total to 38 countries as of Tuesday. The policy for the newly added nations will take effect on January 21.