The American dream of more than a million people, including Bangladeshis, is on the verge of being shattered.

The Trump administration has proposed tightening the work permit (EAD) renewal process for foreigners awaiting the adjudication of asylum and immigration applications. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that in the future, applicants' records and information in federal databases will be more closely checked before issuing and renewing work permits.

The proposal was published in the Federal Register on Thursday (June 5). According to the rules, the proposal will be open for public comment for 60 days. If there are no significant objections during that period, it is likely to take effect next August.

Currently, many foreign nationals apply for asylum after entering the United States on tourist, business, or student visas. Others are released on parole after seeking asylum after being detained at the border. In these cases, they are given a work permit as permission to work until their application is processed.

Under the new proposal, the renewal of a work permit could be canceled if the applicant's criminal record, false or misleading information on immigration documents, national security risk, or other negative information is found in a federal database.

Immigration lawyers and related analysts fear that if this rule comes into effect, more than one million foreign nationals, including millions of Bangladeshis, may face complications in renewing their work permits.

According to government data, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued work permits to approximately 978,308 people in 2024. Currently, in most cases, the renewal process is relatively easy if you apply before the permit expires.

If the proposed rule goes into effect, it would require a detailed background check on every applicant before renewal. Immigration lawyers say it could lead to delays in processing applications and, in many cases, complicated approvals.

In this regard, Attorney Moin Chowdhury, director of the American International Bar Association and District Leader-at-Large of the Democratic Party, told the media that if the work permit renewal process is complicated, there could be a labor shortage in various sectors dependent on immigrant labor, and the US economy will also feel its impact.

On the other hand, the Trump administration argues that this move will make it possible to further secure employment for US citizens in the US labor market and increase accountability in the immigration system.

Former Department of Homeland Security official Adam Klein told the media that additional restrictions could increase economic pressure on immigrant families and could also hurt the labor market.

Meanwhile, Jenny Murray, president of the immigration organization National Immigration Forum, said that the US immigration system needs to be humane and fair. According to her, humanitarian and economic realities should also be taken into account when formulating such policies for foreigners who come hoping for a safe life.