The House of Representatives has passed a bill that empowers local and state police to examine the status of immigrants. A parallel bill in the Senate has been shelved until after the midterm elections in November, which means that new immigration reform legislation has not been enacted.

Despite the absence of any reform, silent operations to arrest undocumented immigrants are occurring in several states, including New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, the Washington metro area, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, California, Nevada, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. During the last several months, close to 15,000 undocumented immigrants – including 200 Bangladeshis – were arrested and later deported.

News of the arrests of undocumented immigrants happen everyday are being heard from different areas. Although the main target of these operations are immigrants with orders of deportation, in many cities undocumented immigrants who are detained for traffic violations are also being arrested and deported.

Now, the hope generated by the massive popular marches throughout the country in support of immigration reform has abated. Undocumented immigrants are working with more tension. Nighttime is no better, as people remain alert for the sounds of immigration officers knocking at the door, ready to take them to a detention center.

Bangladeshis living in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx have been the targets of such incidents. A man, whose wife and children are U.S. citizens, was arrested recently because he had a deportation order.

Attorneys explain that persons who have orders of deportation but have wives and children who are US citizens can apply to remove the orders. They advise that it may yield better results if one applies before being arrested. Trying to reverse a deportation order after an arrest will increase the lawyers’ fees and the difficulty in convincing the judge.

The anxiety and pressure that the immigration uncertainty has caused in the Bangladeshi community are affecting the joyous mood usually associated with Eid, the most holy of Muslim festivals accompanied with a holy month of fasting. Many spend their days worried, and some are changing their addresses to avoid arrest. Many are working 20- to 22-hour days, figuring that if they are deported, they can take some cash with them.

There is no guarantee that the issue of immigration reform will come up in a lame-duck session. Democrats are saying that if they get majority in the House, they will pass a bill similar to President Bush’, which has a provision for amnesty. However, many don’t want to give that much importance to the Democrats, given the long eight years, from 1992 through 2000, when they were in White House and nothing was done for immigrants.

As a consequence, undocumented immigrants are getting ready to return home, preferring to leave with some cash in their pockets and not live in fear of being arrested at any moment. Particularly, many undocumented bachelors who are past the age to get married think that to return home is their best alternative. There is only one life, they say, so if one can have a family, even if not so young, that will not be so bad.