Since Donald Trump began his second term as U.S. President, 27 Nepalis have been deported from the United States to Nepal. Additionally, three Nepalis were deported to Panama from the United States as part of a larger U.S.-led operation, bringing the total number of Nepali deportations since Trump took office to 30.
The Immigration Office at Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal reported that six Nepalis were deported between January 22 and 31, followed by 20 in February and one in March. The deportations occurred on multiple dates: one each on January 22, 24, 29, and 31, and two on January 30. In February, three were deported on both February 1 and 5, two on February 6, six on February 8, two on February 16, and one each on February 17, 19, 20, and 24. The latest deportation took place on March 2.
Of those deported from the U.S., six held passports issued before 2021, ten had passports issued after 2021, and eleven traveled on documents issued by the Nepali Embassy in Washington, D.C. Most of these travel documents were prepared before Trump’s inauguration, with the embassy issuing only six travel documents since his return. Some Nepalis with these documents remain in ICE custody, awaiting deportation.
The exact number of Nepalis arrested by ICE since Trump’s return remains unclear. Data is also unavailable for Nepali deportations during the last four months of the Biden administration (October 1, 2024 – January 20, 2025).
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Over Biden’s four-year term, ICE arrested 132 Nepalis and deported 130, while Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained over 2,700 Nepalis at the border and transferred them to ICE custody. In total, 2,891 Nepalis were held in ICE detention during this period.
ICE arrest records show that 11 Nepalis were detained in fiscal year 2021, 30 in 2022, 56 in 2023, and 35 in 2024. Of those arrested in 2024, 10 had criminal convictions, while in 2023, 11 had criminal records.
Thousands of Nepalis crossed into the U.S. without visas during Biden administration. In fiscal year 2024, 710 were detained by CBP or ICE, following 835 in 2023, 962 in 2022, and 384 in 2021. During Biden’s presidency, ICE deported 130 Nepalis by air: 23 in 2021, 28 in 2022, 22 in 2023, and 57 in 2024.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reports that nearly 9,000 Nepalis crossed the U.S. border without visas during Biden’s term, though only about 2,800 ended up in ICE custody.
By comparison, 1,850 Nepalis crossed the border without visas during Trump’s first term, a figure that surged nearly fivefold under Biden. The peak occurred in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 – September 2024), when 3,690 Nepalis crossed the border without visas.
Since fiscal year 2025 began, 440 Nepalis crossed the border without visas in October and 300 in November. Earlier DHS data shows 3,140 border encounters in 2023, 1,490 in 2022, and 420 in 2021.
(Additional reporting by Suraj Ghimire in Kathmandu and Kishor Panthi in New York)
Dipendra Dhungana
View More PostsDipendra Dhungana is a journalist based in Kathmandu with over a decade of experience in photojournalism. He currently works for Nepal’s national daily newspaper, Naya Patrika Daily. His work has been featured in numerous national and international outlets, showcasing the stories and resilience of the Nepali people. He is also a contributing journalist for NepYork.
