By default, imported data sets are imported as binary and remain in EBCDIC encoding. You can use the TEXT keyword to convert them to ASCII.
Specifying the TEXT keyword causes PDS and QSAM data sets to be converted to ASCII (in the process their record format is converted to LSEQ), and the catalog entries for these data sets have charset=A (ascii). You cannot use the TEXT keyword to translate VSAM data sets to ASCII.
MFDAS IMPORT TEXT c:\data\*.* FROM AUTO mfi01.test.cobol /CATLOC=c:\proj\catalog.dat