Former Bhutanese Refugees Deported from U.S. Face Detention and Uncertainty in Nepal
An additional former Bhutanese refugee, deported from the United States and rerouted through Bhutan, has been detained in Nepal. The arrest, carried out by Nepal’s Armed Police Force on Tuesday, was confirmed by Tulsi Bhattarai, the head of the Kakadbhitta Immigration Office. This brings the total number of detained ex-Bhutanese refugees in Nepal to four, following the arrest of three others last Saturday in the Beldangi refugee camp in Jhapa district. Of the ten individuals deported from the U.S. to Bhutan, six remain unaccounted for, raising concerns about their whereabouts.
The detainees, including 36-year-old Roshan Tamang, were apprehended after entering Nepal via the Panitanki border crossing with India. Tamang, convicted of sexual assault in the U.S., had his green card revoked before being deported. The group arrived at Bhutan’s Paro International Airport last Friday, where Bhutanese authorities provided them with food before transporting them to the Indian border town of Phuentsholing and releasing them. Refused re-entry by Bhutan as citizens, they crossed into Nepal, only to be detained after locals in Beldangi alerted the police.
The saga began in the U.S., where these individuals, originally resettled as refugees from Nepal’s camps under a United Nations program, faced deportation after committing crimes. Tamang, arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 11, was found guilty of serious sexual misconduct, among other charges.
ICE’s Detroit Field Office Director, Robert Lynch, emphasized that such offenders posed a “serious threat” to communities, justifying their removal. After years of delays—due to Bhutan’s refusal to accept them—U.S. pressure, including threats of visa sanctions from President Donald Trump, compelled Bhutan to allow their entry. However, Bhutan swiftly redirected them to India, which also declined to host them, leading to their arrival in Nepal.
Nepal now faces a jurisdictional and humanitarian puzzle. The Immigration Department has yet to decide the detainees’ fate, leaving them in police custody due to insufficient space at the Kakadbhitta Immigration Office. “We are coordinating with higher authorities, but no conclusion has been reached,” Bhattarai said. “Once a decision is made, we will proceed accordingly.”
Bhutan’s refusal to recognize these individuals as citizens, despite accepting them from the U.S., has created a stateless limbo. Meanwhile, Nepal has tightened border security, fearing that more deportees may attempt entry, especially after the Beldangi arrests.
Jhapa’s District Police Office, led by Deputy Superintendent Khagendra Khadka, confirmed that the arrests were based on local tips. “This is a new situation for Nepal,” Khadka noted. “Of the ten deported from the U.S., four are in custody, and we are investigating whether the remaining six are in Bhutan or hiding in Nepal.”
Chief District Officer Gopal Kumar Adhikari called it a novel challenge that requires coordination with immigration and higher authorities.
These individuals were part of a larger group of nearly 100,000 ethnic Nepali Bhutanese expelled from Bhutan in the 1990s, many of whom lived in refugee camps in eastern Nepal. Over 85,000 were resettled in the U.S. and other countries through a UN-led program. However, some, like Tamang, lost their legal status after criminal convictions. In the U.S., Tamang faced charges including sexual assault, drug possession, and resisting arrest, leading to his green card cancellation and eventual deportation.
Bhutan’s actions—accepting deportees from the U.S. only to abandon them at the Indian border—have drawn scrutiny. Historically, Bhutan has resisted repatriating its ethnic Nepali population, a stance that frustrated U.S. efforts until recent diplomatic pressure. Trump’s administration, intensifying immigration enforcement, has prioritized deporting undocumented or criminal immigrants, even threatening travel bans on non-compliant nations like Bhutan. Yet, Bhutan’s workaround has shifted the burden to Nepal, a country already grappling with the legacy of hosting Bhutanese refugees.
Nepal Police have launched a search for the six missing deportees, while immigration officials deliberate on their next steps. “This is ironic—Bhutan rejects its own citizens after the U.S. deports them,” said a Jhapa official.
Human rights advocates warn that without a diplomatic resolution, such cases could escalate, leaving deportees stateless. Critics in the Bhutanese refugee community in the U.S. argue that deporting convicted individuals to countries that won’t accept them violates their rights, advocating for punishment within the U.S. instead.
For now, the four detainees remain in limbo, held in police custody as Nepal seeks a solution. The Immigration Department has indicated that discussions with higher authorities could take time, leaving their future—and that of potential future arrivals—uncertain. As border vigilance increases, Nepal braces for a complex fallout from an international deportation chain that no country seems willing to fully resolve.
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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.
