Nearly 3,000 Nepali Immigrants on the Frontline of Trump’s Deportation Plan within 6 Months

A repatriation flight organized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) transports deported individuals back to their home country. Screenshot from video by John Blackburn/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

President-elect Donald Trump has already announced that he will launch a large-scale deportation effort. This has raised concerns among the Nepali immigrant community in the U.S. However, the number of Nepalis who would be among the top priorities in Trump’s deportation plans is very low. This is because only those who have already received final orders of removal but have not left the U.S. are at the forefront of Trump’s deportation plan.

According to data released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 1,365 Nepalis are currently residing in the U.S. without any form of protection despite having received final orders of removal. Since they do not have TPS or any other legal protection, they will face immediate deportation if ICE detains them. Most of these individuals entered the U.S. after June 24, 2015, and have already received final orders of removal. Those who arrived before June 24, 2015, may have also received final orders of removal, but they are largely protected under TPS.

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So far, nearly 3,500 Nepalis have received deportation orders from U.S. immigration courts. Among them, approximately 2,000 have either voluntarily left the U.S., been deported by ICE, adjusted their status through other means, or are currently protected under TPS. It is estimated that around 1,500 individuals with final orders of removal are still protected under TPS. Since Nepali TPS is valid until June 24, 2025, if the Trump administration terminates TPS, these 1,500 Nepalis with prior deportation orders will move to the forefront of Trump’s deportation plans.

If TPS is terminated, nearly 3,000 Nepalis could be at immediate risk of deportation within the next six months. Because they have already received final orders of removal, no further legal proceedings would be required if they are detained by immigration authorities. However, for the remaining 6,000 Nepalis currently under TPS, ICE cannot deport them immediately upon arrest, as many have pending asylum or other immigration applications with USCIS or immigration courts. Those with pending applications who do not have TPS also cannot be immediately deported upon detention.

Currently, the number of Nepalis under TPS is approximately 7,500, which is about half of the original 14,791 who initially received TPS. Around 50% of Nepalis who previously held TPS have transitioned to other immigration statuses. Among them, 1,970 Nepali students on F-1 visas had applied for TPS, along with 399 dependents on F-2 visas. Some of these individuals have already left TPS, while others may still be eligible to regain their F-1 student visa status.