Nepal’s Supreme Court has ordered that four Bhutanese refugees, who were deported from the United States and subsequently sent to Nepal via Bhutan, be allowed to reside in the refugee camps they lived in before migrating to the U.S. The individuals—Ashok Gurung, Sandeep Darji, Roshan Tamang, and Ashish Subedi—were detained by Nepali authorities after entering the country irregularly through India, following their deportation from the U.S. and rejection by Bhutan.
The four refugees were children of those originally displaced from Bhutan in the early 1990s, when the Bhutanese government expelled tens of thousands of Nepali-speaking Bhutanese, stripping them of their citizenship. These individuals found refuge in camps in eastern Nepal, primarily in the Jhapa and Morang districts, including the Beldangi camp. Through a large-scale resettlement program starting in 2007, nearly 100,000 Bhutanese refugees were resettled in third countries, with approximately 85,000 relocating to the U.S. However, the four men were deported from the U.S. due to criminal convictions, leading to a complex journey back to Nepal.
After their deportation, the U.S. sent them to Bhutan, classifying them as Bhutanese citizens. However, Bhutan refused to accept them, confiscated their documents, and sent them to Nepal via India. Lacking proper documentation, they were accused of entering Nepal illegally and were detained by the Immigration Office in Jhapa.
On April 24, 2025, a joint bench of Supreme Court Justices Balkrishna Dhakal and Nityananda Pandey issued a partial writ of habeas corpus, ordering that the four refugees be placed in their original refugee camps. The court also directed the Immigration Office to complete its investigation into their cases within 60 days. This ruling followed an interim order by Justice Hariprasad Phuyal, which prohibited their deportation and required their presentation in court within a week.
The habeas corpus petition was filed by Narayan Prasad Subedi, the father of Ashish Subedi and a Bhutanese refugee residing in the Beldangi camp. Lawyer Himesh Krishna Kharel argued the case, emphasizing that the refugees’ circumstances in Bhutan remained unchanged since their initial displacement, and deporting them to Bhutan or another country would violate international conventions, including the 1984 Convention Against Torture and the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to places where they face persecution or danger.
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the deportations were linked to criminal convictions.
Roshan Tamang was convicted in Cincinnati, Ohio, of serious offenses, including aggravated sexual abuse, interfering with law enforcement, drug possession, criminal mischief, and trespassing. ICE deemed his sexual abuse conviction a “serious threat to the community,” leading to his deportation after a final removal order.
Ashok Gurung arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 2012, settling in New Jersey. In 2014, he was convicted of aggravated assault in Georgia, receiving a three-year prison sentence. An immigration judge ordered his deportation in July 2017, and ICE arrested him in Harrisburg on March 9, 2024, for removal.
Details regarding Sandeep Darji and Ashish Subedi’s convictions were not specified, but their deportations followed similar patterns of criminal charges leading to the revocation of their refugee status.
The Bhutanese refugee crisis began in the early 1990s when Bhutan forcibly expelled Nepali-speaking citizens, who were then housed in UNHCR-managed camps in Nepal. Despite negotiations, Bhutan and Nepal failed to implement a repatriation agreement, leading to the resettlement of most refugees to third countries. Approximately 7,000 Bhutanese refugees remain in Nepal, primarily in the Beldangi and Sanischare camps.
In the U.S., Bhutanese refugees face deportation if convicted of serious crimes or if they lose their refugee status. However, deportation to Bhutan is complicated, as Bhutan often refuses to accept them, leaving individuals in limbo. During the Trump and Biden administrations, ICE detained dozens of Bhutanese individuals, with 51 detained between 2021 and 2024, though most were not deported. In 2018 and 2019, one Bhutanese individual was deported each year, but their status (refugee or otherwise) remains unclear.
D. Dhungana
View More PostsDipendra Dhungana is a journalist based in Kathmandu with over a decade of experience in photojournalism. 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.
