With President Donald Trump’s announcement of a large-scale deportation effort, concerns are growing among the Nepali immigrant community in the United States. However, the number of Nepalis who would be among the top priorities in Trump’s deportation plans remains low.
According to data released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 1,365 Nepalis are currently residing in the U.S. without any legal protection despite having received final orders of removal. These individuals are at the forefront of Trump’s deportation plan, as they have exhausted all legal avenues and are subject to immediate removal if detained by ICE. Most of them entered the U.S. after June 24, 2015, and have since received final orders of removal. Those who arrived before this date may also have received removal orders but are largely protected under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
To date, nearly 3,500 Nepalis have received deportation orders from U.S. immigration courts. Among them, approximately 2,000 have either voluntarily left the country, been deported, adjusted their status through legal means, or are currently protected under TPS. An estimated 1,500 individuals with final removal orders remain under TPS, shielding them from immediate deportation. Since Nepali TPS is valid until June 24, 2025, any decision by the Trump administration to terminate TPS would place these individuals at the forefront of deportation efforts.
If TPS is revoked, nearly 3,000 Nepalis could face immediate risk of deportation within six months. These individuals have already received final orders of removal, meaning that no additional legal proceedings would be necessary for ICE to detain and deport them. However, for the remaining 6,000 Nepalis currently under TPS, deportation would not be immediate upon arrest, as many have pending asylum or other immigration applications with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or immigration courts. Those with pending applications who do not have TPS are also not subject to immediate deportation upon detention.
Currently, around 7,500 Nepalis remain under TPS, about half of the 14,791 who initially received the status. Approximately 50% of former TPS holders have transitioned to other immigration statuses. Among them, 1,970 Nepali students on F-1 visas and 399 dependents on F-2 visas had previously applied for TPS. Some of these individuals have already exited the TPS program, while others may still be eligible to regain their F-1 student visa status.
The total Nepali population in the U.S. is estimated to be around 300,000. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), around 200,000 individuals of Nepali origin have obtained green cards, and over 87,000 individuals from this population have successfully acquired U.S. citizenship. Additionally, around 20,000 are international students, around 20,000 have pending asylum cases, and around 7,500 have TPS. The number of second-generation Nepalis is not included in these figures.
As the Trump administration prepares to implement its immigration policies, the Nepali community remains on edge, particularly those without legal protection. While immediate deportation risk is low for most Nepalis, the potential termination of TPS could significantly impact thousands, pushing them into an uncertain future.