Forty-four Bangladeshis have returned home from Malta following their rescue in the Mediterranean Sea

Maltese authorities have carried out one of their quickest migrant return operations to date, repatriating dozens of migrants within just 17 days of their arrival, the majority of them Bangladeshi nationals.

According to Maltese media, 48 migrants were sent back after being rescued on 12 December, when a boat carrying 61 people capsized in the Mediterranean and was taken to Malta. The Malta Independent reported that the returns were carried out in two phases: 44 migrants were repatriated on 28 December, while four others were sent back within days of reaching Malta. Although Maltese officials did not disclose the destination, most of those rescued were Bangladeshis.

Bangladesh Police’s Immigration branch later confirmed that 44 Bangladeshi nationals returned home on 29 December aboard a special flight, which landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 5:20pm. All of the returnees were men, an immigration official said.

The Bangladesh Embassy stressed that the return should not be labelled a deportation. Rabeya Begum, first secretary at the Bangladesh Embassy in Athens, which also oversees Malta, said the process was voluntary. She explained that many of the migrants suffered fuel burns, physical injuries and trauma during the dangerous sea crossing, with several requiring hospital treatment after arriving in Malta. Given their condition, all opted to return to Bangladesh voluntarily, she said.

Begum added that 17 Bangladeshis who arrived on 12 December, including one minor, remain in Malta and will have their cases assessed under the country’s asylum procedures. She also noted that the number of Bangladeshi returnees was 43 rather than 44, and that the Maltese government provided limited financial assistance, without specifying the amount.

European migration platform ETIAS described the speed of the repatriation as unusual, noting that return procedures typically take weeks or months due to documentation, identity verification and coordination with countries of origin.

Maltese authorities said the swift process was made possible through close coordination between the police, the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism.

Data cited by ETIAS showed that 81% of irregular migrants arriving in Malta in 2025 were returned to their home countries. Malta also recorded one of the lowest irregular arrival rates in the European Union, with migration dropping by 93% over the past five years.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said the policy seeks to protect those eligible for asylum while discouraging human traffickers. However, rights groups have raised concerns about whether migrants were adequately informed of their right to seek asylum or given access to legal counsel.

Bangladeshis have been among the largest groups of irregular migrants reaching Malta in recent years. In 2024, they accounted for nearly half of undocumented arrivals to the island, according to the Asylum Information Database.

The episode underscores the risks faced by Bangladeshi migrants using irregular routes to Europe and has renewed calls for greater awareness and safer, legal migration options.